Erato's Abode
by WingsOfMorphius
Summary: 16. Rivals. Hatred that doesn’t fade... Envy that only grows... And the bitter pain of irony...
1. Ojos Verde

_**I've made a few changes to this. Big thanks to everyone who was so kind in their reviews and an especially big thanks to Nisha Athalwolf, DarkNightDream and Myst for correcting my horrible Spanish! THANKS!**_

**WoM;_ I know I said this would be a one-shot, but I couldn't help myself. If it makes up for it, this has become a ficlet of unconnected one-shots centering around the girls of Danny Phantom. I still accept all flames graciously since I know I'll piss someone off somewhere down the line._**

**_Once again I don't own Danny Phantom or it's characters. That said, PLEASE keep an open mind and read on._**

* * *

"_Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."_

_**-Robert Lee Frost**_

**_

* * *

_**

**_Ojos Verde _**

**_--…_**

_**…**_

_**…--**_

_I sighed as I looked away from my blank paper and up at the full moon glowing in the sky. So beautiful… so much bigger than it looked… It reminded me of you, actually. Though I doubt I'd ever have the courage to tell you that…_

_I sighed again at that though, looked back down at my paper, which I was supposed to use to write a poem expressing who I was. It was so stupid, how could a couple of rhymes tell **anybody** who I am? Nobody understood me. Nobody TRIED to. They all take me at face value._

_Lost in thought, I tapped my pencil against my paper, a habit I had had for ages, that'd driven my father crazy when I was still in third grade. What was there to write about? There was nothing I wanted that I didn't already have._

…_Well, almost nothing…_

_Hesitating only for a moment, I brought my pencil back down to my paper._

* * *

_**--Green eyes always haunting me** _

_**Shrouded in a mystery**_

_**Who are you? Why are you here?**_

_**And could you love me too, my dear?--**_

**_

* * *

_**

_I blushed a little at that last line. I know it's stupid… but I really do love you. It's not just your courage, or your strength, but the fact that you don't treat me like everyone else does. You're… special. That's the only way anyone could ever describe you._

* * *

_**--Green eyes glowing in the night**_

_**Never losing will to fight**_

_**You look as lonely as I feel**_

_**But I hope we can both heal--**_

* * *

_I close my eyes and remember when it feels like to be safe in your arms. To know that no matter what attacks, you'll keep me safe for forever. The only time I ever feel safe now a days is with you. Maybe that's why I'm always so eager to see you again._

* * *

_**--Green eyes looking for the way**_

_**For the words I want to say**_

_**So misjudged for being free**_

_**But do you want those words from me?--**_

* * *

_That thought depressed me a little why would you want my love? You certainly showed no inkling of affection for me before. Then again, I can't blame you… I've always doubted myself, why shouldn't you? But… no, that's not true, is it? You don't doubt me, you just…_

* * *

_**--Green eyes closed in reflection**_

_**What is it that has your attention?**_

_**Another girl; kind, pretty and smart?**_

_**Someone more worthy of your heart?-- **_

* * *

_…You just can do better than me. WAY better. No matter what I say or do in public, I'm not the most confident of people. Others see me, my appearance makes me hard to miss, but no one really **sees**. I know you know how that feels, with people thinking you were evil. That's why I want to see, to know, to be with you. And more importantly, I wanted THEM to see. That way, you got the recognition you deserved._

* * *

_**--Green eyes alone in this city wide**_

_**Searching for the next place to hide**_

_**I want to help you, want to know**_

_**What is it that makes those green eyes glow?--**_

* * *

_I must really sound pathetic to you. I sound pathetic to myself. Nothing like the girl others see in me. Then again, you must know by now that's just a front. I act different when it's just the two of us. Actually, my mask slips at the mention of your name. I wonder… does this make me obsessed? _

* * *

_**--Green eyes that hold my hearts desire**_

_**Hauntingly powerful emerald fire**_

_**I crave your smile, need your touch**_

_**And feel selfish for wanting so much-- **_

* * *

_Probably, but this thought doesn't bother me too much. This weakness doesn't make me feel weak at all, only stronger. Maybe that is what love is about. Being strong. Is that why you are so strong? Because you love this city that mocked you? It's people who feared you?_

_Because you love me?_

* * *

_**--Green eyes I have come to love**_

_**From Guardian flying by above**_

_**For you I will forever stand**_

_**For us, I hold you out my hand.--**_

* * *

_"Sweetheart? What are you still doing up?" I look up and see my father at my door. He was dressed for bed, and I smiled warmly at his searching look._

_"Nothing! Just finishing some homework, I'll be done in a second, then I'll go to bed." I answered. Dad smiled back, pride in his eyes._

_"That's my girl!" He said encouragingly. "Don't stay up too late, though." He kissed me on the head before turning to leave. Eagerly, I turn back to finish the poem while my current rare streak of creativity lasted._

* * *

_**--Green eyes I hope will someday show**_

_**The love with which I overflow**_

_**I'm not as perfect as all the others say**_

_**But you are, mi amor con ojos verdes.-- **_

* * *

_"Goodnight, Paulina."_

_"Night, Papa…" I said, and, before closing my window, I willed one last thought to reach you…_

_'…Good night… Danny Phantom…'_

* * *

**WoM-** _**Like I said before, not big on Paulina/Danny, but I had to write this. Why? Dunno. Maybe cause my damn evil muses refuse to work in ways that suit me. (**'glares sullenly at toga clad group laughing behind her back'_

_**I know the poems terrible. (At least by my standards, but my friends say I'm an over obsessed perfectionist freak when it comes to writing/poetry/artwork. Anything else can rot in Hell for all I care. ) and I made Paulina seem just a tad bit deeper then anyone else finds her. (Gnah!** 'Ducks away from angry Paulina-haters'**) But I wanted to take a new view on her others haven't tried yet.**_

_**While she's not even my favorite female character, (Valerie is, then Sam, Jazz, Maddie and Ember) she's smarter then people give her credit for (Or, to level with you, at least she's shrewder, which shows she has some brains,) and as a writer, I strive for originality.**_

_**With that in mind, feel free to start reviewing (IE; flaming the Hell outta me.)**_

_**PS. …I'll take flames, just please no pointy things or snakes, kay? Those scare me...**_


	2. Alone

**WoM- _Okay, I wasn't tarred and feathered after Ojos Verde, so I decided to make something of a comeback! No real connection to Ojos Verde, just another random poem. Once again, feel free to flame me (Though I'm not really expecting any here…)_**

_**

* * *

**_

"_When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."_

_**-Helen Keller**_

**_

* * *

_**

**_Alone _**

_It's quiet._

* * *

_**--My lonely lost cries are sounding**_

_**But no one here seems aware**_

_**I'm sinking, and I'm drowning**_

_**Trapped in my abyss of despair--**_

* * *

_Then again, it's nearly always quiet. Sometimes, it really drives me nuts, this constant silence. Because when it's quiet, the doubt always comes back. The self-hatred starts eating away at me again. Maybe that was why I was so desperate to be adored. Because I knew I could never love myself, so why not make other people love me instead? That didn't work out too well, though. It was all a fake love, and I knew it from the start. Still, I kept telling myself, fake love was better then nothing. I'd almost had me convince, too, 'till you came along. After that, fake love was never enough. It couldn't be enough. Your passion, your power… it was all so different, so unique._

* * *

_**--I fight back, and I struggle**_

_**But this pain doesn't seem to end**_

_**My heart is just fragile trouble**_

_**And I'm runnin' alone once again--**_

* * *

_Unique has always been something of an interest of mine. And I lived, breathed and existed for passion. My mother once told me I was drawn to people who stand out like a moth to flames. Maybe because that'd always been the way I lived my life, trying to stand out and show everyone how I wasn't something to be laughed at. Craving for the adoration, for the knowledge the people **knew** me. That's what got me killed, you know._

* * *

_**--Cause I'm in the rain singin' to the blue moon**_

_**Since no one else ever hears me**_

_**And I stand in a crowd of no one at noon**_

_**Looking for my way to be free--**_

* * *

_He was so unique… so passionate… and a damn good actor. I bought his every lie. Tricked myself into believing he loved me the way I loved him. That I would always be first and foremost in his thoughts. But he was so warm, so attentive, and I was starved for love. I guess that made me stupid. At least, I felt stupid after he ditched me for another chick while I was dying in that damn hospital bed. The fact that he didn't know I was dying at the time did little to ease my hatred of him. That's what turned me into a ghost, resentment that the man I'd loved was a liar, a cheater, and a fake. I wanted to make him suffer, to haunt him until his hair turned gray._

* * *

_**--And I'm standin' alone, barely here anymore**_

_**Livin' on stubborn will to survive**_

_**Yet all I can do is take broken wings and I soar**_

_**To the place where this pain will reside.--**_

* * *

_But it took me about five years to learn to control my powers, and another three years to track him down. I still looked the same, being a ghost. So long as we have enough power, we won't age. Eight years was nothing to me. But the same can't be said about humans. Maybe I could've gone through with it if I'd found him miserable and alone, maybe I could've gone through with it if his acting career hadn't fallen through and he was still the same jerk who left me to die alone after that accident in the concert. Maybe then, I would've finally been able to rest._

* * *

_**--Millions of eyes blind to what I now see**_

_**Through the darkness of friend and lover**_

_**Bonds that are broken, lost fidelity**_

**_Yet we ignore more then we can discover--_**

* * *

_But the fact was, he was a normal guy. Happy, with a wife and two sickeningly cute little twin girls who looked normal enough to make me wanna hurl. A job running a local hardware store one of his uncles used to own, though he'd sworn forever and a day that he'd never take over the family business when we dated. I should've hated him for it all, for living, but I couldn't. And the fact that I couldn't that I knew I wouldn't be able to go through with haunting him, made me hate him even more. Worst yet, though, he, the only person in the world I expected to remember me, had been so consumed with guilt after my death that he went to a hypnotist to erase his memory. As far as he remembered, I never existed._

* * *

_**--But I watch them dance in this Masquerade Ball**_

_**Telling others what they wanna hear**_

_**And I've seen the faces when the pretty masks fall**_

_**The truth nobody sees in the mirror--**_

* * *

_After that, I couldn't bring myself to see him again. To see him happy, changed. To see myself forgotten, I suppose. But since I couldn't bring myself to haunt him, I also couldn't move onto the Otherealm. The world beyond ghosts. Christians call it Heaven and Hell, Buddhists Nirvana or reincarnation and a million other different cultures and religions had a million other names for them, but the fact was, I was stuck in between there and the Mortal Realm for longer then I'd ever wanna know. I'd forced myself to forget my life in that time, and, after a while, I figured that if I was gonna be stuck, I might as well make a name for myself and cause some havoc. Then, you came along…_

* * *

_**--And I'm in the fog, dancin' for the new moon**_

_**Since no one else will stand near me**_

_**And I'm waiting here for my flower to bloom**_

_**And I wonder who you really see--**_

* * *

_You fought for your friends no matter what. You and your friends stuck together and broke through my spell. It made me feel lonely again, watching you and your best friends together. Weird, huh? Here I was with hundreds of fans, and_** I **_was jealous of _**you**_. It shouldn't be any surprise I felt that way, though. I was already acting like a true ghost before I even died. Even my death didn't change my number one rule; Look after yourself first, let everyone else make it on their own. But while the rest of us try so desperately to gain strength, you denied it, content with what you had, and learning by yourself at your own pace. More then anything else, the way you can just accept yourself makes me so angry._

* * *

_**--And I wander alone, lookin' for somethin' more**_

_**Livin' though I'm no longer alive**_

_**And I need to make it, like I couldn't before**_

_**Trying to know the girl I am inside.--**_

* * *

_I don't know who I am anymore now then I did when I was a kid. It isn't fair that you can accept yourself so easily, and trust so many so openly where I'm stuck in the shadow just watching. Envying, to be more honest. And worst, you even made me think back to my life before all this for the first time since I last saw him… Now, sometimes I even catch myself wondering if things would've been different if I met someone like you back then. Maybe someone like you could've saved me from the pain I forced onto myself constantly. Maybe you could've steered me from my road to self-destruction._

* * *

_**--Why do I have to fight alone in the end?**_

_**Where's there the gentle soul to care?**_

_**Where's my superman, where's a one true friend?**_

_**Come on is there someone out there?--**_

* * *

_Or maybe I expect too much from you. After all, even with all your strength, your selflessness and your quick thinking, you're still just a 14-year-old boy struggling to understand what's happened to him. What good would that've done me, a girl who lived for attention and music? A girl who hated her father to the point where she ran away from home? A ghost who attended her own funeral? That's really rare, you know. Most ghosts that do have funerals never attend them. Kitty went to hers, but only because Johnny was still alive at the time, and she wanted to know if he was gonna come. No one but my mother visited my grave, you know. She always struck me as so weak in life, the reason I tried to be strong. But as she stood there over my grave, I realized how strong she was._

* * *

_**--And why do I need to be here at all**_

_**If there's no one by my side?**_

_**Where's the one who can catch when I fall?**_

_**Where's someone to make me feel alive?--**_

* * *

_I was my parent's only kid, you know. During my birth, there was an accident, fairly usual back in my day and age (Not that I'll tell YOU when that was) and my mother was left barren because of it. My pops got pissed because he was a real traditionalist, and he wanted a boy to 'carry on the family name' and all that garbage. Because of that, I'd get yelled at no matter what I did. When I wrestled with the boys in the neighborhood, I needed to start acting more lady-like. When I started wearing make up, I looked like a prostitute. Thanks to him, and my mom's passiveness, I grew to hate everyone over twenty-five. When I was thirteen, I ran away from home. I found work with a band, and got really chummy with the guitarist. He taught me how to play and the rest, as they say, is history._

* * *

_**--'Cause I'm in the snow cryin' to the half moon**_

_**As I find that no one can save me**_

_**I sit alone, dyin' too young and too soon**_

_**Thinking of all I could never be--**_

* * *

_Death really changes your outlook on life, though, as ironic as that sounds. Especially dying before you've really had a chance to live. I was only sixteen when I died, and because of that, I'll always have the mindset of a sixteen-year-old girl. I can never get married, or have kids except with another ghost, and it's not like THAT will happen anytime soon. I think every ghost here really hates the living because they don't know how good they got it. Our lives are over and done with, and they sit there worrying about the stupidest stuff instead of savoring being able to feel the sun on their skin, or even the warmth of their bodies. I can't speak for the entire ghost population, but little things like that are what I miss most._

* * *

_**--And I race along here, where the rain will not pour**_

_**Existing only on more empty lies**_

_**I can't stand to stand with nothing to fight for**_

_**All alone with my wide open eyes…--**_

* * *

_It sucks, knowing what the world is like and knowing that, unless you're exorcised or something, you're not going anywhere for a while. I hate living like this. Actually, I'm not even living, so I don't know what to call my existence. I do know, however, that whenever I fight you, it eases my loneliness a bit. I don't know if it's because just being around you means I have to get out of the past and concentrate on the present, or because I just wanna show once and for all that I can beat someone like you and prove my choices made me the better ghost. Either way, I'm only happy fighting you now a days. As such, I'll continue to fight you until one of us can't fight anymore, even though I know that with your increasing strength, it'll probably be me. _

_…Still, no one's ever accused Ember McClain of being one to sit back and let things happen…_

**_

* * *

_ **

WoM_- I was kinda begrudging about doing Ember, since you see so much of her around here… But once again, my muses work against me._ (TT)_Alone started out as a song, but I turned it into a poem for this, since I was worried the song would be toocorney.This one was probably much more obvious then Ojos Verde. After a while, I just gave up 'shrugs.' Oh, well! which Lady from Danny Phantom is up next? (All the Sam Fans are probably ready to fillet me by now… )_

**THANK YOU (in order of review);**

**Z **

**SAvee10 **

**TayloWolf**

**Nisha Athalwolf**

**Nix nivis Noctua**

**dArkliTe-sPirit**

**DarkNightDream**

**Fuzzytoesocks**

**Myst **

**Saramis Kismet**

**_Please Review!_**

**_PS- for those of you who are wondering, Erato was the GreekMuse of Love Poetry, one of the nine original muses. If my penname didn't give it away to you, I'm a myth freak,so you might see a lot of mythological referances in my stories._**


	3. Hand in Hand

**WoM- _Whoo! Poem number III! You guys know these things are tricky to crank out, right? Ah, well, enjoy!_**

* * *

"_Insanity is hereditary - you get it from your children."_

_**-Sam Levenson**_

* * *

**Hand in Hand**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Hand in Hand I led you**_

_**To the place you needed to go**_

_**I smile as you follow me**_

_**And laugh when you grin and glow

* * *

**_

_"Mom?" I gaped in surprise as I watched a younger version of me turn at your yell. You beam up at that younger me, hugging her leg and laughing._

_"Mom!" You repeated, grinning up at her with that happy, three year old face I haven't seen in years, "Mom, I gotta surprise for you!" She looked at you in confusion for a moment before she spotted an eye peeking around the corner before shyly ducking back away. Realizing what was going on, she smiled down at you. I smile, too, remembering this day well._

_"A surprise?" She repeated, crouching down and tousling your hair, neater back then than it is now. I used to brush your hair all the time back then, but that stopped when you became a 'Big Boy.' "Is it a plane?"_

_"Nope!" You responded, shaking your head vigorously._

_"Hmm…" She tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. "It's not another puppy, is it?"_

_"Nuh-huh," You said, pouting slightly at the reminder of the pet you'd pleaded and begged to keep. It'd been torture to tell you no, but the fact remained that your father was horribly allergic to animal fur._

_"Well, is it a princess?" She asked in a slyer tone._

_"No, It's a new girl!" You said, obviously too excited to let her finish the guessing game. A cute little girl with short black hair and bright violet eyes stepped out from around the corner, hastily hiding herself behind you, "Her name's Sam, and she just moved here! I told her she could stay for dinner. It's okay, right Mama?"_

_"Of course, sweetie!" Younger me said at once, smiling warmly at the girl, "It's nice to meet you, Sam. Do you want me to make you anything special for dinner, honey?"_

_"She told me she doesn't like meat," You piped up for the girl when she only buried her head deeper into your shirt._

_"I'll make her a salad then," The young mother said reasonably. Then, in mock confusion, she added, "But I thought you said the surprise _**wasn't**_ a princess?"_

_"She's not," You say firmly, "Paulina's a princess, but she's boring. Sam's way funner then she is!" then, taking the girl by the hand, you lead her outside, unaware of the young mother's giggles or my soft smile.

* * *

_

_**Hand in Hand we walk along**_

_**Through all the joy and strife**_

_**Side by side, you've grown so big**_

_**With so much strength and life

* * *

**_

_"Hey, Mom, check this out!" I shook my head as a seven year old you showed another young version of me a movie. She frowned at the title._

_"'_Haunted_?'" She read, "The movie about the evil poltergeist who kills people in the hospital he died in? I dunno, isn't that a little scary for you and your friends?" You roll you eyes._

_"Come on, Mom, I've seen it twice with Sam in theatre and Tucker says he's seen it eight times!" You say, exasperated at my fussing. I laugh._

_"Well, if you can handle it…" She said, amused. "Is that everything?"_

_"We can go over the list again," You suggest._

_"Alright…" Younger me hummed thoughtfully. "Veggies for Sam?"_

_"Check!" you say, grinning, "We've got enough to feed a rabbit farm, mom."_

_"Steak for Tucker?"_

_"Check!"_

_"Chips and sodas?"_

_"Check!"_

_"Mr. Bruno?"_

_"Ch-MOM!" Younger me laughed as you blushed and glared, "I haven't slept with that stuffed toy in years!"_

_"Haven't you?" she asked innocently. "Funny, I could've sworn I saw him in your bed last night…"_

_"Ha ha," You grumbled, "Let's go already, Sam and Tuck are supposed to come over at seven!" I laughed softly as we headed out of the store, arguing all the way about my apparent lapse of vision the night before. _

_You had no idea that Tucker had bluffed to you, and hadn't seen the movie once. He'd keep the entire house up well into the dawn, much to nine-year-old Jazz's irritation. To this day, one cannot get him within ten feet of a hospital without the right incentive._

_You also did not know that I'd looked in on all of you after you'd all fallen asleep, and saw that you'd given your stuffed dinosaur to Sam. I remembered then how worried you were about her recent surge of nightmares, and smiled as I realized you'd been saying goodbye to an old friend the night before, preparing yourself to give him away to someone who needed him more.

* * *

_

**Hand in Hand, but you tug loose**

**So impatient to be free**

**I race to keep up with you**

**But you still run so desperately**

* * *

_"I'm fine, Mom!" You duck away from the hand that was reaching out to you. I remembered this day, too, almost a year ago. The day of the accident. Other me hid a hurt look when you avoided her touch, but I saw something else now that I relived the day again._

_You wouldn't meet my eye, fear written clearly on your face._

_"Now don't give me that," Other me said sternly, "This is serious! You were lucky you were only electrocuted, and apparently not that badly." You exchanged looks with Sam, the only one who'd been in the room for the whole thing. Tucker had run up to get help, sending the whole family up in arms with worry over you._

_Even Jazz, who hadn't believed in what I and her father did, was hovering around you, attempting to check your pulse and take your temperature and insisting that somebody call an ambulance so we could get you into an emergency room and have a professional examine you._

_"Maybe I should take a blood sample…" Other me muttered under her breath, "Or perform some other tests, just to make sure-"_

_**"NO!"** You and Sam yelled, making everyone else jump. Tucker eyed you two in confusion._

_"I mean, no tests, Mom. I'm fine, honest! Never better, actually!"_

_"Well…" Other me sighed, "What were you doing in such a dangerous piece of equipment, anyways? You know better then that!" Behind you, Sam bit her lip, her guilty gaze fixed on her feet._

_Days later, she confessed she'd been the one who convinced you to enter the Portal. She was afraid I'd be angry with her, and forbid her from seeing you again. But there was no way I could do that, no matter how mad I was. Sam was a big part of all our lives now, yours especially. She was, in many ways, part of the family, as was Tucker._

_I was always proud of you for your taste in friends. I knew just watching you with them that you couldn't have chosen any stronger or more loyal companions. Both of them would defend you to the grave and beyond, a trait you now shared as well._

_"You said it didn't work…" you muttered, slouching into your chair a little more._

_"It hadn't," Other me sighed. And it shouldn't have. To this day, neither Jack nor I knew how you'd gotten the portal working and lived to tell the tale._

_"And the fact that it didn't work was one of the reasons you should've stayed away from it!" Jazz scolded you soundly. "Though to be fair, mom and dad shouldn't have such dangerous equipment in our house to begin with," Other me sighed again at the start of an all too familiar argument, one that had actually been on a steady decline lately._

_"Not now, Jazz," She said in a tired tone. Then, in the soft, worried voice only a mother could pull off, she asked you once more, "Are you sure you're alright?"_

_I'd never been so scared as when Tucker had run upstairs screaming you'd been electrocuted by the Portal. It was one of the reasons I'd had reservations about building it again, especially in our own house._

_Vlad's accident hounded me the whole time Jack and I constructed the portal, and my first fear when I'd heard you'd been hurt was that you would suffer the same, if not worse. After all, the Fenton Portal was far larger and more powerful then Jack's earlier Proto Portal._

_"I'm fine, Mom," You say, giving me a soft, weak smile._

_"Well, if you're sure…" Other me sighed, going to help Jack. Jazz eyed you worriedly for a moment longer, then headed upstairs to finish whatever she'd been working on._

_With their backs to you, Jack and Other me never saw when you literally vanished before my eyes, reappearing moments later. I saw, though, and gasped loudly, eyes wide. Sam and Tucker saw, too. Tucker almost mirrored my gasp before Sam hastily slapped a hand over his mouth, throwing a cautious look at Other me and Jack._

_"Sort of…" You mutter, giving your friends a helpless look that carried an obvious question._

'What happened?'

* * *

**Hand in Hand for one heartbeat**

**As you lead me from your pain**

**I wonder when our roles reversed**

**And I drown in all my shame**

* * *

_"Mom? What are you still doing up?" Other me frowned at the question, but disregarded it with a gasp when she took in your current state of disarray._

_You were cut and bleeding in several places, your clothes were dirty and torn and a large bruise that looked suspiciously like a gigantic handprint was developing on your right wrist. It was obvious you were trying to sneak in while everyone else was asleep, from the fear that was flickering in your eyes._

_"What on earth happened?" She asked, jumping up and marching over to you. You flinch._

_"I-I'm fine! I just fell, you know how clumsy I can be,"_

_"You fell?" She exclaimed. "Falling doesn't cause that much damage! Did someone else do this to you?"_

_"It's nothing, Mom," You tell me, not meeting my eyes. "I was just messing around with Tucker was all…" She frowned, while I got over my shock over the last scene enough to snort and roll my eyes._

_Tucker was a great kid, smart and energetic. His family was nice, too. Neither of them minded too much when Jack blathered on about ghosts and they certainly treated you much kinder then Sam's snobby parents. But if you ever expected me to believe he could cause that kind of injury to a person, especially unintentionally, someone truly had knocked one of your screws loose._

_"Sweetie…" Other me started, warily, "Are you… being bullied?"_

_"Wha-?" You almost trip at that in shock. Then, much to my surprise, you burst into laugher._

_"Son?" She said, concerned._

_"Sorry, Mom," You say, "It's just-" You shake your head. "Nothing. You better head to bed, you've got that Lab thing in the morning, right?"_

_"Yes," Other me sighed, "That's why I was up… Did you see where your Father put the Ghost Gabber, dear?" You flinch when I name the invention I'm looking for._

_"Erm, I think Jazz made him give it up after the Genius Magazine thing, Mom," He said sympathetically. "You'll have to ask her tomorrow before school,"_

_"Yeah, I'll do that…" Other me says absently, successfully distracted by your change of subject._

_"Night, mom," You say, giving me a smile before you start up the stairs._

_"Night, Sweetie." Other me respond with her own gentle smile before she kiss you on the forehead and headed into her own room._

_I smile softly at the tender moment, before it melts away into a concerned look as you winced and groaned, leaning heavily against the door to your room. I gasp when you press a hand against your side, blood staining the side of your shirt._

_"Damn Skulker…" you muttered upon seeing the stain. Tearing off your shirt, you head to the laundry room, revealing several scratches and bruises I'd missed the first time._

* * *

**Hand in Hand though I didn't know**

**The burden you've embraced**

**You're growing up, a consequence**

**Of the dangers that you've faced**

* * *

_"Mom, I'm sure he has a good reason for being late!" Jazz tells other me as she paces nervously._

_"Don't give me that, Jazz!" She said, frowning "What on earth could be so important he'd forget today, of all days?" Jazz flinched._

_"Maybe it's something school related?" Jazz suggested._

_"He wouldn't get detention!" Other me said confidently, "Not on his birthday!"_

_"Lancers been coming down pretty hard on people lately," Jazz offers, "Be patient, Mom, I'm sure he'll be here soon."_

_"He better be," Jack grumbled, "The ice cream's getting warm!" he reached for the Double Chocolate Mint Fudge, his personal favorite flavor._

_"Jack!" Other me said warningly. He withdrew his hand hastily, not wanting to incur her wrath. Then she frowned at her eldest child, "I don't know, Jazz, maybe we should go looking for him…"_

_"NO!" She yelled, jumping to block the door, "I mean, relax mom! I'm sure He'll be here any second."_

_"Well…" Other me said doubtfully. I frowned at my daughter as other me considered her words, wondering if she knew something at the time I hadn't. Then, determined, I walked away, through my daughter and the front door like the ghosts I hunted._

_I scan the streets for my son, who should be coming soon, if memory served correctly. My eyes are drawn upward with a sharp, familiar chill I'd come to recognize as a sign of a ghost's presence. I freeze when I see not one ghost, but two._

_One is the infamous Danny Phantom, and the other is a ghost I recognize as one of the many that harasses Amity from time to time. A mechanical looking creature, who made strange whirling sounds every time he moved. Apparently, Phantom had won, as the other ghost was now being sucking into- **was that the Fenton Thermos!**_

_Phantom landed on the ground and, after breaking a sigh of relief, he allowed himself to be enveloped in two horizontal beams of light, which started from his Torso and worked vertically in opposite directions. As the lights fade, it isn't Phantom standing there, but rather a much more familiar, and far dearer person to me._

_I feel myself sink to my knees as you stuff the Thermos into your backpack, tossing it over your shoulder and going into the House._

…

'Oh.

My.

God…'

* * *

**Hand in Hand inside my heart**

**Where you shall forever reside**

**My big strong son, my little boy**

**My child even when you hide**

* * *

_Gasping, I flail up in a fury of arms and legs, kicking the blankets off and panting. Next to me, Jack grumbles slightly and turns on his other side, before resuming his rhythmic snoring._

_Shaking slightly, I put on my housecoat and slippers, silently heading out the door and into the hall. Shutting the door softly behind me, I turned so I could start downstairs for a glass of water or something to calm my frazzled nerves. My attention, however, was diverted towards Jazz's slightly ajar door, where a thin stream of light peeked out and hushed voices were conversing._

_"Jazz, sweetie?" I said, knocking before opening the door. I was surprised to see not only Jazz, but you as well, "Oh…"_

_"M-Mom!" Jazz said in a high-pitched voice, "When did you get here?"_

_"I live here," I reminded her with a frown, "And I think I have a right to be in my own home at three thirty in the morning. Speaking of which, what are you two doing up?"_

_"Jazz was helping me with a project, Mom," you said quickly._

_"Y-yeah!" Jazz agreed, "A project… for Lancer!"_

_"Couldn't you have waited?" I asked. "It's a little late to be doing schoolwork…" I trailed off as I caught sight of a first aid kit barely peaking out from under Jazz's bed._

_Flashbacks from my dream came to me abruptly of you, bruised and bloody, sneaking into the house at God-Knows-What hour._

_"Mom?" Jazz said curiously. Apparently she'd been trying to get my attention for a while._

_"H-huh?" I blink, my eyes darting to you, noticing for the first time the slight scrape on your right cheek. "Yes, well, school or not, you two had better get to bed. You have school in two hours, you know!" You hastily jump out from Jazz's computer chair and slip past me out of the room. I bid Jazz a goodnight, then catch your arm before you can slip into your own bed._

_"Mom?" You say, curious._

_"Danny," I start, serious, "You know I'll always love you no matter what, don't you?" I know it was just a dream, that humans can't have ghost powers, but still, something about it felt so real, I had to say this. "You should never be afraid to tell me anything. It's okay to be afraid I won't understand, but even if I don't there's nothing in the world that can stop me from loving you. You're my son, and I'm really proud of you for everything." And with that, I kiss you on the forehead and pad softly back to the bedroom, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I close the door behind me, but not before catching your surprised look._

_It's impossible that you and Phantom are one in the same. All the notes Jack and I have done claim it's impossible for a human to withstand the charge of ectoplasm that it would take to transform someone into such a state of being. but if you are, It would never chance a thing. Because you are more then Danny Phantom. More then Danny Fenton, even._

_You are my son, and for that, I will always be there for you when you need me._

**

* * *

**

**WoM-** **_Okay, I know I should've done Sam, but this took on an Idea of it's own! I thought it was sweet, and it was certainly longer then my other two one-shots, but I suppose your opinion is all that matters in the end. I did fit quite a bit of D/S in, though._**

**_On a bright note I MET BUTCH HARTMAN! An autographed picture of Danny Phantom smirks down upon me from it's framed spot on my wall above my computer even as I write this._**

**Thanks to;**

Myst

**Next Poem; **November 20th


	4. Black Dove

**WoM- _Yeah, yeah, Sam's turn. I felt it was finally time to give all her fans their money's worth. Also, I wanted to ask- do you guys want me to do poems for the guys, too? If I get more then ten yeses, I might start another fic like this. If not… 'shrugs' I won't make an effort if it's not something that's gonna be enjoyed._**

* * *

_"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence." _

_**-H L Mencken**_

* * *

**Black Dove**

_It's strange, as much as I love to go to Poetry Slams, I absolutely despise sharing my own work. It's not that my poems are any less creative then others I'd heard, but poetry is personal to me. It's my soul, my emotions put into words. And while I am by no means a shy person, I'm not the kind of girl to leave herself so vulnerable to a crowd of strangers._

_Until tonight._

_In class today, Mr. Lancer had gone through and read some poems he found 'of exceptional quality,' without naming the authors. I didn't even care that my poem was one he read, the only thing that haunted me all day was Paulina's poem. It HAD to be Paulina's poem, no one else in that class (Except maybe myself) would write about the green-eyed ghost boy._

_I'm not sure if I was more bothered by the depth of the poem or the subject matter, but it really, really bothered me all day. Something both you and Tucker had noticed almost instantly. Still, I refused to tell you why I was upset, instead opting to take my aggression out here._

_I scanned the sea of unconcerned faces from the stage, the spotlight nearly blinding me. While I was brave enough to do this, I felt it necessary to make sure no one who could hold it against me later was there. Satisfied that there was no one I recognized, I began to read._

* * *

"I sit in my room's solitude

My mirror in front of me

And I ponder all the things

That make me so cowardly."

* * *

_Would you ever expect that there are things out there I'm terrified of? Tucker teased me before that I'm probably the most fearless person on the face of the earth, with a possible exception of you. But I do get afraid. Every time you get battered and beaten by ghosts, I'm scared that the injuries might be too much for any of us to handle without a doctor's help, and when you took the Battle Suit to fight Pariah Dark, I'd never been more scared in my life. Scared that you wouldn't come back…_

* * *

"Ghosts haunt my waking moments

And you haunt my secret dreams

One thing I know here by your side

Is that nothing is what it seems"

* * *

_In the life we live, you can't take anything at face value. We've had too many ghosts possess people, or pretend to be someone living to trust strangers, or even people we know to a certain extent. Honestly, though, I've been keeping something secret from you guys. I admit, I feel a little guilty because of it, especially since other then that, there are no secrets between any of us. Still, how could I face you and tell you about the dreams I've had? Dreams where you hold me, and tell me the words I long to hear…_

* * *

"My eyes cloud in worry,

As I brood about your fate

I know I can't be what you want

Yet still I contemplate"

* * *

_It's amazing really, you're the hero you've always wanted to be now. You've taken the weight of the world upon your shoulders, and while we can't say you don't complain now and then, you've never shirked from the duty you've taken as your own. Still, it's your loyalty to me and Tucker that makes you my hero. You do everything in your power to help us when we're in need, no matter what sacrifices it means for you. Danny Phantom and Danny Fenton's lives are starting to clash with one another more and more, and despite your best efforts, people are beginning to notice things._

* * *

"You're everything you think you are

And so much more then you know

Two people with one destiny

More isolated with every foe"

* * *

_You've started to alienate yourself from others more, keeping even more to yourself. I admit, that worries me. Especially when it's even just the three of us, and you get that look on your face. Like there's something haunting you, and this time it isn't of the undead variety. But whenever Tucker and I bring it to your attention, you brush it off and change the subject. Tucker tells me to let it go, that even you need some personal space, but I can't help but be scared for you._

* * *

"You're so alone, but I am here

Giving you all that I possess

It's not enough, though, not for me

Yet still I'm unable to confess"

* * *

_What would you do if I told you I loved you? Expecting you to love me back seems a little farfetched. Expecting nothing to change is downright ridiculous. You can't say something like that and not have some sort of change in the relationship. Your friendship means the world to me, if it doesn't work out for us as a couple, I'd feel so completely miserable. I honestly don't think I could take losing you, in any way shape or form._

* * *

"Others only see the strength

Yet I know too well your fears

So won't you let me hold you close

While you release the tears?"

* * *

_…Paulina only spoke of one side of you, the strong one, Phantom. The Danny I know has two sides. My Danny wasn't just strong, and brave and noble. He was shy, with a big heart and more fears then he'd ever let his family see. I'm even sure there were even some self-doubts you keep from me and Tucker, since you'd been troubled lately about overburdening us. But as far as that goes, that's nothing you need to worry about. Right from the start Tucker and I vowed to be your support no matter what that meant._

* * *

"Then I turn back to the mirror

Studying the every flaw

Of the girl it's forced to show

With her emotions harsh and raw"

* * *

_Am I really not pretty?Is there something I'm missing that keeps me second best in your eyes? Or is it just the fact we're friends? Do you, like me, not want to take a chance on what we have if what we want doesn't work out? Thinking about all this gives me a headache, and makes me even more miserable. Still, no matter how many times the questions play in my head, my tongue refuses to ask them, so I never get my answers._

* * *

"What is it you don't see in me?

What is it you can't love?

Why can't I say what you need to hear

From this black winged dove?"

* * *

_I smiled sadly at the last line of my poem. That was what you and Tucker called me since middle school, a Black Dove. Doves were a symbol of peace, love and harmony and the color black was, in Tucker's words, my 'favorite accessory.' Though I never said it out loud, I rather liked the nickname. It had a poetic ring to it, both sad and hopeful at the same time. _

_And, as absolutely and horribly corny as this sounds, I especially like it when it's you calling me Black Dove. Because then you give me that secret smile, and I feel, if only for a minute, that everything is at harmony. We don't worry about ghosts, or our strange friendship or any other problems life seems to have a rather sadistic pleasure of throwing at us (You in particular.)_

_We're just Sam and Danny. No more, no less._

_I don't really hear the applause as I get down from the stage and make my way back to my favorite table. I'm shaking, but at the same time, I feel relieved. Like I've yelled out all my anger and frustrations. And, as I sit back down to listen to the next poet, I feel something change in me. It's nothing major or anything. It's just that, for once, I feel everything is gonna be alright._

_Because no matter which Danny you are in appearance, you will always be _**My**_ Danny._

* * *

WoM- Damn it! This is the fourth time I hate to write this part up because is evil! >P Anywho, there's you Sam poem! Naturally, there will be more coming soon, different subject, different angles, yadda yadda. So don't go away just yet! 

**Thanks to-**

TayloWolf

Saramis Kismet

Myst

pottersparky

The Wicked Wench of the West

Questions-

**Saramis Kismet**

(_YEP!_ 'grins evilly.' _he grew up in the area, actually. Not even a stone's throw away._ 'laughing' _Yes, Maddie had something of a dream. I'm really into premonitions and unconscious eneries, so I couldn't resist. Hope you enjoyed this one!_)

**Myst**

('amused' _my spanish (Though horrible)isn't that bad, dearie. Agreed. Peer pressure is the ulimate evil. Why be like everyone when you can really be something else, ne? Though I'm not sure if I can still say that, considering this poem was Sams... _'shrugs' _Ah well. I hoped you liked. MY PICTURE!_ 'dives and takes autograph back, hugging it close and growling protectively.')

**pottersparky**

('shaking her head' _I knew that meeting Mr. Hartman would get everyone's attention... He didn't talk too much about the romance in his series, it was a seminar for High School and College students interested in ananimation career,but he did tell us how he came up with the idea for Danny, and (suprisingly more amusing) He told us about some of his past careers._ 'snickers' _As far as the D/S front goes, I do have a D/S fic out. Two, actually and both are doing pretty well. The first is_ Frights, Cameras, Action!_ and the second_ Gender Confusion. Gender Confusion _is being updated in two days, and _FCA _on Thanksgiving._)

**Next poem- _November 28th_** See you then!


	5. Pride

**WoM- _Wow! I'm glad you guys liked Black Dove! Here's the next installment, enjoy!_**

_**

* * *

**_

"_A wish changes nothing. A decision changes everything."_

_**-Unknown**_

**_

* * *

_ **

**Pride**

* * *

_**Don't try to understand me**_

_**Don't take me as any other face**_

_**Cause here I'm comin,' my head high**_

_**Charging at my own fast pace**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Liar._

_Freak._

_Wanna-be._

_Has-been._

_I know how other people see me. _

_It's really not that hard to miss, since most people don't even try to hide it, and those that do don't do a good job. But I don't care. Why should I? None of them know me, after all, they just know my story, what I've been through. Why should their opinions carry any weight if that is all they know me by?_

_Actually, It almost makes me fight harder. Not for them but for me. I want to show them that even if I'm all those things now, I'm still more then they could ever be. While they run, I fight. When they're busy screaming, I've got eight different battle plans forming in my head. They need me, even if they don't realize it. Even if they don't acknowledge it._

_I don't need that, though. I'm not relying on their words, their praise, and their lies anymore. I've got something better then that now. I've got the results none of them could ever achieve. I've got knowledge they'd never dream of. I've lived through things that would give them nightmares, fought creatures that would scare them to death, and I'm still here asking for more._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Don't knock me to the ground**_

_**Don't expect me to ever hide**_

_**I'm a fighter, heart and soul**_

_**With a warrior's undying pride**_

_**

* * *

**_

_It does hurt, though, I can't lie to myself about that, even if I can to others. Because it's so lonely. It's lonely walking through the halls without an ally. Seeing people together, laughing talking without a care in the world when all I have are my own thoughts, and the deafening silence I'm still getting used to. The cold truth that none of them would care if I dropped off the face of the earth, even when I considered them my friends._

_That's one thing about myself that makes me feel stupid. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too trusting of others, too confident that I know how they feel about me. Then when it turns out I'm wrong, I always end up hurt. That's why I was a little hesitant at first to fall into a real friendship with Danny. _

_I almost consider that an irony now. Back when I started off, I tried to befriend and use him like I did his friend. But he saw through me, I think, and closed himself off. Then, after I'd finally completely realized how stupid and petty I used to be, he started a hesitant friendship. At first, I was a little wary, but now I realize how lucky I am for trusting him. Not for the reason I originally wanted to be friends with him, either, but just because he's a really great guy._

_I've been socially abused, abandoned and left for dead. In that situation, I know most people who had it all and lost it would just curly up and disappear but not me. I've never been that kind of girl. It's just always seemed too weak to me. Too cowardly._

_I know I'm a lot of bad things, God knows Ms. Spectra pointed them out, but one thing I'm not is a coward. That's something I'd never, ever let myself become, no matter how hard things got. That was how I lost my mom, actually, because she was a coward. She was too afraid to take a chance to save herself from danger, and put me in danger because of it. That's why I swore to never be like that._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Don't tell me that I'm wrong**_

_**Don't try to make me see**_

_**Because all I know is what I have**_

_**And that is all I'll ever need**_

_**

* * *

**_

_At first, it was all about revenge. Now, that barely the reason anymore. It's become something different. My life may be a little harder now, but in a lot of ways it is better. Because now I have a reason to get up. Now I have a reason to listen, to fight, and to take a stand._

_I know I've probably taken it a little too far. Even Dad sometimes says I'm obsessed. Every picture ever taken of you, every newspaper article that mentions you name, even every TV broadcast that shows you fighting, I can't turn in any direction in my own room without seeing your face. But my obsession is all that keeping me here and happy, because it's given me something I can work for, something I'm good at._

_Jazz said once during one of her drawn out speeches that High School is all about finding who you are, where you life will take you, what's in store for you. When I first entered high school I honestly didn't care. As long as everyone loved me, and all I had to worry about was when the next fall fashion line up was coming out, I was a happy girl. _

_Now I've got a plan, I've got motivation, I've got a way to make everything I want happen by myself instead of falling back on someone else to do it for me. I'm independent now thanks to you. I'm more aware of everything around me, and I've got something I really believe in._

_In a way, my loss has given me freedom. I guess I'm almost sort of grateful for that, but I can't ever let it show._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Don't ask any more of me**_

_**Don't help me when I fall**_

_**I want things to stay simple**_

_**But you're not helping that at all**_

_**

* * *

**_

_The one thing that makes me wanna tear my hair out, though, is how you refuse to fall into the role you're supposed to have. I want things to stay black and white, crystal clear. You bad, me good all that sort of stuff. But you keep messing that up!_

_First you saved me, then you helped me, then after that you help me some more before selling me out! It's enough to give a girl a migraine. That's why I refuse to voice my doubts, even when other people bring them up. Because doubting who you are means doubting who I am, and doubting who I am will tear away everything I've worked so hard for. I can't let that happen, the thought alone terrifies me._

_Guess that means I'm not as fearless as I want to be, huh? Since I'm so scared of all my work being pointless, of all the things I've shed tears and blood for being a lie. That's why I turn a blind eye when I see you saving someone, or reason it off as something else. That's why I argue myself blue in the face against those who claim you're a hero._

_Because if you're the hero, what am I? If you're the one who was right, that would make me the wrong one, the petty girl who only saw herself when you were out there working your butt off helping other people._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Don't act like you care what happens**_

_**Don't complicate things any more**_

_**I don't need to change things all around**_

_**Especially with what you've done before**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Maybe it's selfish of me to think that way, but I can't help it. I have to believe in myself, since no one else does. They all look at me, and they see a fourteen year old girl who's always tired, whose grades have been slipping lately, and who's started skipping class more and more._

_My boss at work thinks I'm a slacker because I come in late and sometimes take breaks for no rhyme or reason, my own dad doesn't trust me anymore since he found out I was keeping things from him! I only really have one friend to speak of, and I have to keep things from him, too._

_Like how you've saved my life even though I've tried to kill you. How you apologize up and down for your mistake, which I don't even really care about any more. This is about more then a social life or money now. **MUCH** more._

_The thing is, though, you don't see that. It kind of makes me feel guilty, like I'm using you as a scapegoat for all my troubles. Especially when you give me that concerned look, or you protect me from stray attacks. Hell, even the fact that you'll hold back to keep from hurting me when we fight! _

_That's part of the reason I have to fight you, though. Because I want there to be a day when you aren't holding back anymore. I want to know that I can take on the world and then some because I can fight you and stand a chance of winning. That's more then the Fentons can say, more then any ghost hunter, actually._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Don't tell me that you're sorry**_

_**Don't give me those sad eyes**_

_**Even if you don't want to fight**_

_**It's all that keeping me alive**_

_**

* * *

**_

_I've seen that look in your eyes when you're on TV, fighting another ghost. Sometimes you get that charge, that moment of pure instinctive bliss that comes when your facing someone and you know you can win, but only if you give it your all and then some. That's the look I want to see one day when you face me, don't that grim 'I don't want to fight you but you leave me no choice,' look. _

_I want you to respect me, look to me as an equal power. I want to fight you knowing that you're giving it all. Then I want to destroy you to prove to myself and everyone else that I'm more then what they think I am. What you think I am._

_It's almost ironic. Up until you came along, I never thought of myself as ordinary or boring. I was pretty, I was rich, I was popular, and I was everything other girls envied. Now, though, even being a social outcast, I look back and I see myself as just that._

_Because even though I'm in danger now, even if I'm too young to be doing stuff like this, it's something I love to do. It's something I'm good at, something that helps people and gives me a chance to take all my hatred, all my pain, all my distrust and channel it somewhere that I won't hurt someone I really do care about, like my dad or Danny or even just a random teacher who catches me on a bad day._

_**

* * *

**_

_**So don't expect a second chance**_

_**And don't quell my growing fire**_

_**Because all I've got is here and now**_

_**And that's all I'll ever desire**_

_**

* * *

**_

_I guess this makes me a twisted girl. I mean, I'm both sure of myself and unsure. I want to help, but I don't. Sometimes, I can't figure myself out at all. I'm working myself to death so I don't have to think about all these things, because it's so hard to look at yourself and admit your flaws, even when they're glaring you in the face._

_That's why I put them all on you. That's why I can't trust you, and keep telling you as much. Because trusting you may lead to liking you, and liking you may lead to even more confusion, and I just can't handle that. Two faces, two lives, two different paths, and I'm just one person being told to choose. _

_Mr. Masters says I'm great. Dad tells me I'm too young. My teachers think I'm slacking. You think that try too hard. My old friends tell me I'm a loser. My new one makes me feel like nothing matters except having fun while I can. Showing loyalties when they're needed. Standing by my ideas._

_So maybe I am all those things, and maybe I do have problems. I don't care what they think, though. I don't care what you think. Because Valerie Grey isn't someone who is gonna let other people hurt her anymore._

_The only thing I'll ever be truly grateful to you for is showing me that I have something in me that no one else does. For showing me that I'm more special then I'll ever believe. You didn't give me strength, I worked for it. You didn't teach me to fight, but you did show me that I needed to. And for that and the pride I have in my work, I will always owe you some debt of gratitude, I suppose._

_…Just don't expect any special treatment, ghost-boy._

* * *

**WoM- _There! I tried to portray a side of Valerie we only get glimpses of in the show. Like I said before, she's one of my favorite characters because there's so many different angles to her personality. You can tell these probably clash a lot, so I think that confusion is what makes Valerie so agressive. Or maybe I'm just over analyzing things again. Ah well. Review please!_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

TayloWolf

Saramis Kismet

Myst

* * *

**Questions;**

**Saramis Kismet**_ (Not really a question, but I had to respond. I just had to say Iwas very, very touched by your review. Poetry's always been very important to me, and It was really something to have someone else credit me with inspriation. I hope to see some of your works soon, I've read some of your stories before and already know your an exellent writer!)_

* * *

**Next update-** _December 9th_

_**See you then!**_


	6. By and By

**WoM- _Whew! This didn't want to upload fora second!_ _I've been wanting to do this one for a while, but kept hesitating. It's a good thing I did, since I think it made it turn out even better…_**

_**

* * *

**_

"_Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all."_

_**-Dale Carnegie**_

_**

* * *

**_

**By and By**

_**

* * *

**_

_**One by one the days march by**_

_**And all I can do is sit and observe**_

_**I feel powerless as I watch you try**_

_**To make sence of the absurd**_

_**

* * *

**_

"Danny? Are you okay?" _I already know what your answer is going to be, just like I know it's going to be a lie. Still, I felt it was my duty to ask._

_"Fine," Came the grunt, just as I expected. I bite my lip and turn away, pretending I didn't see the bruises lining your arm even as my stomach did flips._

'Who was it last night?'_ I wonder._ 'Who kept you up to God knows what hour, fighting? Who put those bruises there?'

_I chatter on about nothing to try and distract myself from these thoughts, not to mention keeping other people from noting those physical signs of your burden. As proud as I feel, I've got to admit I'm scared for you._

_Who's to say one day the ghosts won't get fed up and try and revolt against you or something? You can handle them one at a time, but what about all together? Would you win that fight? Would you even survive? Can you even die in the first place?_

_That's another thing I wonder about now. After all, the accident did more then give you powers. Your temperature is colder now to anyone who brushes past you, physically you've gotten stronger, faster. _

_You've begun to do things unconsciously that makes me wonder if you've developed a stronger inner psyche, like dodging things when you're half asleep, and even pulling others out of danger before anyone, yourself included, even knew they were at risk._

_Still, no matter what changes are going on inside of you, you still face every day with the same determination to protect everyone, to shoulder all their pain and fight off all their fears. You refuse to burden anyone else with your secret, your powers, **No one**._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Fib by fib I strive to hide**_

_**The secret you can't trust **_

_**You don't know how I've lied**_

_**While knowing that I must**_

_**

* * *

**_

_"Where's Danny?"_

_When was it that my heart started pounding every time I heard that question? To any other person, that would probably sound stupid and overprotective, but I can't help it. I have to do something to help you, after all, even if it's something as minimal as this._

_"He's gonna be a little late today, Mr. Lancer," I lied. "There was another lab explosion today, and he got trapped in clean-up duty." _

_The portly teacher sighs in annoyance, unaware that you've probably saved his life more times then he can count, and that all you got in return was Fs and scoldings about how irresponsible you were, when it was actually quite the opposite._

_You were so much more then responsible. You are still just a kid, and you've taken the lives of everyone you know and many you don't onto your shoulders. You've suffered because of it, and you've had your losses, but you never gave up on what was important, which was what makes you a true superhero._

_I often wondered what others would say or do if they knew. Would they accept you, acknowledge you as the hero you are? Or would they shun you for something you had no control over? Would they insist your powers be taken away?_

_I honestly didn't know how they'd react. As proud as I am for my perception skills in other people, this was a circumstance with results that couldn't be predicted, since logic dictates the accident should've never happened in the first place._

_Still, I think you were destined for this. Because, as corny as this sounds, you're the strongest person I know._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Breath by breath I wait for you**_

_**Always fearing for the worst**_

_**Dangers leave you black and blue**_

_**And their hatred leaves you cursed**_

_**

* * *

**_

'Crash!'

_I jump slightly at the noise coming from the supposedly empty room. I hope against hope that it isn't what I think it is, but already know that I'm wrong. Sure enough, a peek inside reveals you fighting another ghost, and losing badly. I cringe at the sight of the bloody gashes on your chest, once again feeling helpless as far as you were concerned._

_I draw a sharp breath when I see someone coming from the corner of my eye, shutting the door behind me and leaning against it in a supposedly casual pose._

_"Good morning, Mrs. Ishiyama!" I say, my loud tone drowning out the sounds of the battle so they didn't reach the Principal._

_That didn't keep them from me, though._

_"You honestly think you can win, you lousy freak?" Your opponent demands angrily, "You're merely a half-ghost! An abomination of nature!" I tried to turn my wince into a smile, but it must've still looked pretty pained, since Mrs. Ishiyama stopped to give me a concerned look._

_"Are you alright, sweetie?" She asked, "Maybe you should see the nurse…"_

_"I'm fine, Mrs. Ishiyama," I answer. It's you who's in trouble. Not just from your enemies, but yourself. You're pride, your fear… it's all hurting you far more then any ghost has ever accomplished, though I'm sure they're doing their fair share to try and bring you down._

_My greatest fear lately had been that you'd die in a fight. What would I do if you left? I can't even begin to imagine how much that would hurt, and I'm deathly terrified of finding out. Still, I'm too proud of you to ask you to stop on account of my fears. They're your powers, after all. Your responsibilities, your burden and your life. _

_You don't want me meddling, you've already made that clear._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Fight by fight you keep us safe**_

_**From terrors most don't know**_

_**For all the dangers you erase**_

_**For troubles high and low**_

**_

* * *

_**

_"In other news, Amity Park's very own Danny Phantom has shown heroism yet again, fighting off a ghost that attempted to kidnap an entire kindergarten class. Not only did Phantom saved the cute little tots from impending dangers, but he also stayed to watch over them while waiting for help to arrive, going as far as to play with them even so they wouldn't wander off. Here's Darryl White with more. Darryl?"_

_"Since when did ghosts baby-sit?" I ask in amusement._

_"Since kids took to clinging to their legs wailing like somebody told them all major holidays were cancelled when they tried to leave." You respond. I bite back a giggle, but can't suppress my smile._

_"Thanks, Suzan. I'm here with four year old Katie Daniels, one of the students saved by the controversial white haired ghost. Katie, can you tell us what happened?"_

_"Uh-huh!" Katie said happily, "Everyone was playing outside when a scary shadow ghost attacked us, and Phantom came swooping in and fought him. It was really cool, like a superhero!" another suppressed giggled at your brilliant blush. "Then after he sucked the bad ghost up, he was gonna leave, but Frankie started crying cuz he was scared more bad ghosts would come, so Phantom stayed and showed us lots of cool tricks he could do! Did you know he can make people float like him?"_

_"No, Katie, but thanks for enlightening us," Darryl said smiling. You roll your eyes._

_"I still don't get why they can't see ghosts are dangerous…" You gripe, shooting the TV a dirty look. I smiled._

_"I can think of a few reasons…" I said knowingly._

_After all, you'd always been there to take the worst of the blows for us._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Drop by drop I count the tears**_

_**You're determined not to shed**_

_**Bringing new life in my rising fears**_

_**As your foes toy with your head**_

_**

* * *

**_

_I give you a weak smile as I stand at the threshold of your door. You were laying on your bed, staring at the ceiling and pretending I wasn't there. You knew I was, I knew that much right away. How could you not, after all? But you just really didn't want to talk. Fortunately, I had the birthright to **make** you talk to me._

_"Hey," I said softly, coming in and sitting on your bed, "Wanna talk about it?"_

_"I'm fine," You say. If it wasn't so serious, I would've rolled my eyes. You didn't sound fine. You didn't look fine, and years of being around you taught me that you weren't fine. Anything but, actually._

_"Well, I'm here when you want to talk," I told him, standing up. I made for the door, when a question stopped me._

_"How come everything I do only makes things worse?" He asks. I frown._

_"Danny," I said scoldingly, "How can you say that! You've done plenty of good."_

_"But it's never enough!" You say in frustration, "Everyone hates me, I'm always swamped… and the people I love most are all being dragged into this mess!" I sit back down._

_"Danny," I say firmly. "Not everybody hates you. People don't understand some of the things you do, yes, and that scares them, but no one actually hates you,"_

_"I beg to differ." You say dryly._

_"And as for the people you love…" I ruffle your hair, "Maybe I can't speak for all of them, But I at least will stand by you no matter what, Danny. It doesn't matter to you how much danger you're in, so why can't we say the same?"_

_"But it does matter." Danny sighed. "I don't want anyone hurt because of me," I smile and kiss your forehead._

_"Which is why you never have to doubt we'll always be there to help," You smile at me._

_"Thanks," You say shyly._

_"Any time," I respond, proud of myself for even this little bit of aide._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Hope by hope I feel so proud**_

_**Of all the good you've done**_

_**A strong hero among a crowd**_

_**Of those who'd only run**_

_**

* * *

**_

_I barely hear the crowd of screaming students around me. All of them are running to the doors, already too used to the procedures for ghost attacks. It was almost becoming a routine, actually._

_I stay, though I do take cover as you advise everyone who couldn't make it to an exit to do. This includes Paulina, who (Unfortunately on her part,) is currently trapped against the wall by the looming, leering monstrous ghost._

_She screams as the ghost lunged to attack, but you knock it away, too caught up in the fight to even notice her adoring gaze which would have had you preening in normal situations. The monster attacks you now, but you dodge._

_The rest of the fight is easy for you, and the ghost ends up like hundreds before him; sucked into the Fenton Thermos to be released into the Ghost Zone later that day. I smile slightly at your surprised expression as some of those students left begin to cheer._

_Here in the Halls of Casper High is were most of your fans lie, since they see more then anyone how much you put into these fights to protect them. They still don't know everything, though, and neither do I. But I'm a patient girl. I can wait._

_**

* * *

**_

_**Stress by stress begin to build**_

_**As your two lives always clash**_

_**You never stop the role you've filled**_

_**Since you changed in one big flash**_

**_

* * *

_**

_"Aaarg!" You growl in frustration, "I can't get this!" I smile sympathetically as you give the book in front of you a glower that would've sent half the Ghosts who attack you packing._

_Unfortunately for you, the basic ninth grade chemistry textbook was no such foe, and remains stationary, undaunted by the glowing green eyes glaring at it accusingly. Sitting I shut my own book and lean over to see what the problem is._

_"Need some help?" I asked. You blink at me._

_"What happened to 'doing your own work by yourself builds character, good habits and teaches necessary responsibility skills to succeed in the future,' and all that junk?" You ask. I glare slightly at that, not really mad, but whatever._

_"I just figured you could use a hand is all," I said airily. "Now, what's the problem?" You frown again, looking a little wary._

_"Are you okay?" You ask me suddenly, actually seeming pretty concerned. You study me with a little frown as I pull back sharply. "I mean, there's nothing you want to tell me, right?"_

_"Of course," I answer, genuinely surprised, "Why wouldn't I be?" you shrugged, not meeting my eyes._

_"It's just… You've been acting a little weird lately," You said vaguely. "Dad's even started insisting you're overshadowed or something…" I rolled my eyes here. He would think something like that…_

_"I'm fine, Danny," I said firmly, "Why? Is there something you wanna tell me?" You hesitate for a moment and open your mouth to say something when there's an explosion downstairs._

_"No," You mutter, "Nothing." I smile, though at the same time I'm hurt. I understand, though, and I can wait._

_"Now," I say, pulling the book towards me, "About that problem…"_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Love by love your heart now reels**_

_**As you can't seem to decide**_

_**You're still you in how you feel**_

_**Though you don't know where to abide**_

_**

* * *

**_

_"Danny? Danny?" I shake my head and snapped my fingers in front of your eyes, finally gaining your attention. I roll my eyes and add a dry. "Welcome back to earth, space cadet," you blushed brilliantly._

_"Sorry." He murmured, "I was just… thinking," I smirk slightly, knowing you well enough to know your attention had been on the pretty Latino girl currently laughing at something her blonde female companion had said._

_"Thinking?" I said, blinking innocently, "You? Wow, that's a first…" You glare and kick me under the table as I laugh, happy to get a rise out of you. Ah, hormones…_

_My smile sinks after you leave to get a refill, when I turn back to glance at the girl again and see her writing something in a Danny Phantom-Themed address book. She giggled girlishly when someone questioned it and told them something I couldn't hear before kissing the picture of you in your ghost form she'd taped to the inside of the cover._

_I sigh before turning my attention back to you as you finish capping your cup. Paulina was pretty, and a real social butterfly, but she wasn't for you. I didn't know the girl too well, and what I did know about her wasn't good. _

_Still, I knew she had to have a good side with the bad, as her vigorous defense of you to disbelievers proves. She has to have at least some sort of loyalty and gratitude to stick up for you instead of doing as she normally did and going with the flow of the general opinion._

_But even with that, you two couldn't work out. You needed a girl who was stronger then the 'Flawless' Paulina, someone who could stand up for herself if a ghost tried to attack. The Damsel in Distress stuff was great for old fairy tales, but such a mindset for your girlfriend nowadays would only bring you, her and everyone else involved more headaches._

_As I was thinking this, another girl intercepted you on the way back to the table, and I couldn't help but smile slightly as her violet eyes danced at whatever she was telling you…_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Scream by scream silent and hurt**_

_**That I must hear every night**_

_**You've been shoved into the dirt**_

_**And still don't give up the fight**_

_**

* * *

**_

_I flinch as I hear you groaning in pain. After a small mental debate, I decide a quick peek in on you won't hurt anything. Gathering my courage, I open your door._

_"Danny?" I call softly, so you won't get too mad at me if you're awake. No response. I open the door wider, gasping at the sight before me._

_You lay on the ground, still fully clothed with dirty shoes on and everything. The window's open, and a chilly breeze cools the already freezing room. I cringe, sick to my stomach when I see your open wounds, with are already healing. Ghost powers must've given you a faster healing rate then humans, but instead of comforting me, this only made me more worried._

_After all, there were many times you still had visible wounds when you awoke, what were you being put through that involved being hurt so much?_

_I freeze when you draw a long breath, only to sigh in your sleep. Calming my pounding heart, I brush some of your messy hair out of the way to examine your head injury. It was still bleeding slightly, but seemed to be healing fine._

_Looking at you again, I stand and gather the first aid kit from the bathroom, cleaning and tending to some of your minor wounds the best I can with my minimal experience with medicine. After taking care of that, I pull your shoes off and throw one of your arms over my shoulders to carry you to your bed, my knees buckling slightly under your weight._

_You don't wake up once throughout this, and merely curl into your blanket after I set you down. You murmur, something about Plasmius or something, before settling back into a dead sleep._

_I cast you one last worried look before heading back to my room, trying not to think or worry too much. After all, you were strong enough to handle it alone. _

_Right?_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Side by side now you accept**_

_**Your life as it's become**_

_**You put faith in me, your secret kept**_

_**And our new bond never undone**_

_**

* * *

**_

_"So, how long have you known?" You smile at me in a way that reminds me of a man freed from a burden. I smile back as I stop on the steps._

_"About the test?" I clarify, "For days. But I'm really proud of you for not cheating,"_

_"Not that," You said, taking the Boo-merang, my tattered headband and the note I'd written to you out of your pocket to show me, "Your headband, your note with your handwriting…" I freeze, feeling like an idiot. _

_Sure you weren't up to my standard academically, but you'd always had a lot of common sence, and of course all this ghost stuff had made you much more perspective to details, even in the middle of something as vital as saving your future._

_"What, that?" I give a meek laugh even as my cheeks heat up, "I didn't write that, and there must be dozens of headbands…"_

_"Jazz," That was all you said. Combined with your skeptical look, though, it was all I needed. The jig was up, it was time to come clean. Sighing, I sat next to you, taking the note and everything else from your hands._

_"Since the Spectra thing," I admitted, a little downcast. Then, so you didn't get the wrong idea about me being ashamed or anything, I quickly added "I didn't want to tell you until you wanted to tell me," I meet your eyes, "It's your secret," I told you firmly, hoping you'd know that I wasn't going to blab to anybody._

_"Well," You say, smiling, "It's our secret now," I smile back, relief flooding through me that I was finally included in your circle of trust. No longer did I have to hover behind the scenes, worrying without knowing anything about what was going on._

_I felt my smile widen as I hug you close. In that moment, I felt closer to you then ever, and it felt good. Still, as we parted, I couldn't help but add one last warning to you, just because I felt you needed it._

_"Don't think this means I'm gonna stop being meddling and overprotective!" You laugh warmly at that._

_"I wouldn't have it any other way," You declare firmly._

_And you know what? Neither would I…_

_**

* * *

**_

**_WoM- I love Jazz. I'm a big sister myself, and I've had to help my brothers out of their screw ups, so I really relate to her well. I guess that's why this one was so long…_ 'laughs sheepishly,' _And this is up just in time for the episode tonight, too!_**

**_

* * *

_**

**Thanks to;**

Tetsukon

Myst

dancegrl

Saramis Kismet

TayloWolf

_**

* * *

**_

**Questions;**

**Myst** _(I'd be happy to! I'll check it out this weekend now that I have some time to breathe!)  
_

**dancegrl** 'blinks' _Erm... Thanks?)_

**Saramis Kismet** _(Thanks! I understand, too. And I loved the poem you did! Yeah, Valerie's may favorite character. I like that there's so much to work with in her and thatshe's not a good or badguybut rather just herself, struggling with a force that should dbe beyonfd her scontrol and doing a good job with it.)_

**_

* * *

_**

**Next poem;** _December 16th_

_**See you then!**_


	7. Chance

**WoM- _Okay, this is another one that's been bugging me for a while. (This is just becoming a place where I can get things off my chest, now that I think about it,) I think I might be able to stump a few people here at first…_**

_**

* * *

**_

**Chance**

_**

* * *

**_

I've always been so monotone

_**As I survive from day to day**_

_**From sunrise to the falling moon**_

_**No change in what I do and say**_

_

* * *

Age; 13_

_Dear Diary,_

_I not an interesting person, am I? I know this and accept it, after all almost my whole family was that way. Normal family, normal job, normal kids, normal house… there is nothing unique about the pattern in which we do things._

_It's my father more then anything. He's such a military man, and he runs his family like he does his job. We get up at the same time in the morning every day, we all get the same chores, the same breakfast… there is never anything to differentiate one morning from another. Sometimes I almost wished something major would happen, just so that maybe I could get to do something different._

_Things were expected of me from early on, too. After all, I've been labeled the smart one, the one who was gonna get good grades, go to college and become a doctor or some equally respected as money-making profession. I'm the responsible one who always did as she was told, and never questioned her parents._

_It's my older sister who fights tooth and nail for her individuality. Her grades were never as good as mine, but she is a lot braver then I ever was. She breaks from the norm of our life, but in a dangerous way. She dates really tough-looking biker guys, almost like Hell's Angel rejects. I think she smokes and drinks too, but I never caught her._

_As much as I, The middle-school brainiac, am in awe over the pure defiance in my high school sister's actions, I'm also afraid. Because Daddy gets mad whenever anyone so much as mentions her name in his presence. Daddy's been threatening to disown her, to kick her out, if she doesn't straighten up. She always assures me that the only reason she hasn't left yet is because she's still trying to get her living arrangements worked out._

_But you want to know what I think? I think she's just as scared of change as I am._

_**

* * *

**_

I'm simplicity in its purest form

_**And it's driving me insane**_

_**I wanna scream, want to explore**_

_**To make this life less plain**_

_

* * *

Age; 15_

_Dear Diary;_

_It's amazing how little things change if you don't do anything. My sister settled down after high school, met the son of one of my father's colleges and got married. Me? I haven't changed at all. I'm in High School now, still doing perfect at everything, and I'm very, very popular, but I'm so unbelievably bored!_

_Even my boyfriend is tedious and dull. He's the captain of the varsity football team, but dumb as bricks and extremely vain. If you let him, he'll go on for hours about his football glories._

_…Actually, he'll go on about it if you let him or not._

_I'm starting to doubt my father now, too. After all, there's nothing I'm accomplishing in this life, no risks taken. Everything's been planned out for me, and I just have to follow the yellow brick road._

_Sometimes I want to yell at them, tell them all to just screw off and get a life. I want to scream out, to swear, all the things that my dad deems inappropriate. But then I remember my sister._

_She fought, and it got her nothing. She wasn't really happy now, settling into the life dad had dictated out for her. She'd fought, then given up. What if I did the same? What if I didn't and dad carried through on his threat to make me a homeless orphan not welcome in my own room anymore. That thought worried me. _

_After all, even if it isn't much of a family, it's all I had…_

_**

* * *

**_

Maybe I was only scared

_**Of what would come and go**_

_**Maybe I'm just cowardly**_

_**But I didn't want to know**_

_

* * *

Age; 17_

_Dear Diary,_

_I cried myself to sleep last night._

_I don't even know WHY. Well, I do, but I can't tell anybody. No one but you at any rate. I mean, how stupid would I sound if I complained to one of my friends that my life was boring. Especially since they don't think so._

_Kristen's a basketball jock, Michelle's an artist and Tad's the captain of the martial arts team. They're all ALLOWED to have flaws, their parents don't care. They're allowed to act as goofy and freaky as they want._

_And they don't. Why? Because they're popular, and better things are expected of them. I can't even properly resent them for it because I'm the worse of all. I'm in mask no matter where I go or who I talk to. I've grown to hate myself with a burning passion._

_Dad's picked out my college for me, and that were I'm going. He didn't even ask my opinion at all. I don't want to be a doctor, though, that's too boring. I want an exciting life, doing something I can really be proud of. But still, all I do is smile and nod. _

_Because it's what's expected of me._

_**

* * *

**_

Then you came, a stranger

_**Unlike anyone alive or dead**_

_**Not what I could ever want**_

**_So why did you now irk my head _**

_

* * *

Age; 19_

_Dear Diary,_

_I met the most bizarre man imaginable today! I didn't even talk to him, yet I already know he's touched my life in a profound way. It was in a local café, I was out with Michelle who wanted to celebrate some art competition she'd won when I saw him._

_Not that he was hard to miss. His clothes, the volume of his voice, the way he lumbered around awkwardly… it drew everyone's attention. But I was the only one watching him not for the entrainment value of his performance, but because I envied how free he was, how comfortable he was in his skin._

_His words had so many rolling their eyes in annoyance, but they held me captive. Sure he wasn't the brainiac that my dad wanted me to marry, but he was so confident, so imaginative, and so… unique._

_After a while, though, Michelle noticed my attention wasn't on her and turned to see what I was looking at. When she finally noticed him, she laughed._

_"Talk about a grade-A nut job, huh?" She giggled to me. I felt furious at her right then, but slipped back into the persona I always wore around my friends._

_"Yeah," I said instead. Normally, I wouldn't have chanced it, but I had to glance at the man once more as we left, still preaching to an unconvinced audience._

_I thought about him all that night. About his words, his confidence… and, in the most reckless attitude I'd ever taken with anything, I got up and drove to the local library, determined to research more about the topic he was talking about._

_**

* * *

**_

I tried my best to stay away

_**I swear that forever to you**_

_**I wanted to stay normal**_

_**But I wanted to change, too**_

_

* * *

Age; 21_

_Dear Dairy,_

_I've never been one to believe in fate. I'm a woman of science and facts, and things like fate and predestine couldn't be proven no matter how many believers it had._

_But I swear to you, our meeting must have been fate. How could something that brought me such strength and joy be a mere coincidence? I'm sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. My hands are even shaking in excitement…_

_I met him again today. That man I saw so long ago in the café, the one who unknowingly drew me into a world unlike anything I'd ever seen, a world where the facts I lived by and the fantasy I found difficult to understand collided. _

_I have to admit, I was hooked in by the mystery of it, the fact that there were puzzles in this science still nowhere near solved. And the fact that I was very, very good at understanding them and being able to sort them out._

_I'm getting off track again, aren't I? Ah, well, back to my story…_

_I'd just gotten a call from my father, angry over the drop in my GPA from a 4.0 to a 3.8. Apparently, he'd just gotten wind of my new side hobby, too, which did little to soothe his anger._

_Never in my life did I hate that man more. What right did he have to deny me happiness? Who was he to tell me what interests I could and couldn't have? But I didn't have the courage to tell him that. To yell at him like I wanted to, tell him to go to hell._

_So I sat, I listened, then I left my dorm for the park and cried._

_I don't know how long I sat there. I few hours at the very least. It was a secluded spot, so no one bothered me. This brought me both comfort and more pain._

_After all, I knew no one would be looking for me. My 'friends' weren't loyal, too busy caught up in popularity, and my so-called family was a disgrace to the word. I was really and truly alone…_

_…That's where he found me._

_"Are you alright?" I looked up, then froze in shock. I recognized the man right off the bat, but knew he didn't know me. Still, I had to blush was I wiped my eyes._

_"F-fine," I stammered out, feeling weaker by the second. The man frowned, clearly not convinced._

_"Are you sure?" He pressed, "I'd be happy to help…" I laughed bitterly._

_"No one can help me," I told him. It was funny, but talking to him made my tears start to dry. My pain was ebbing away. I didn't want to continue, I knew it wouldn't help things in the end, but nor did I want to stop._

_"Can I at least try?" The man asked hopefully. I had to smile._

_"I suppose," I said, my smile widening at the bright look on his face._

_"Can I start by buying you a meal?" I laughed, this one far more sincere._

_"Deal!" I said, feeling much better already. I didn't even have his name and I was already attached to him. I took the hand he offered me and we started for town for our date, and I knew I was in for a bizarre trip with the next words out of the man's mouth, just like I knew I didn't care…_

_"Do you believe in Ghosts?"_

_**

* * *

**_

You gave me more then anyone

_**More then any passing glance**_

_**You taught me how to really live**_

_**And how to take a chance**_

* * *

_"Mom? What are you doing?" I look up from my old diary at my daughter's voice, smiling as she eyes the book in my hands in blatant curiosity._

_"Nothing, sweetie," I said, closing the book, "I was just cleaning the attic and got caught in dusty of memories about me and your father…" She made a face at that._

_"If it has anything to do with public displays of affection, Vlad Masters or ghosts, I do not want to know!" She declared firmly. I laughed._

_"Well, I guess that saves us time then, doesn't it?" I asked, winking at her and putting the book back in the box. I head downstairs, smiling when I catch you leaning over a new contraption you imagined up for our job._

_"Hey!" You brighten when you see me, "Any luck finding the Fenton ecto-disintegrator?" I shook my head._

_"None," I tell you, "But I did stumble over some old memories." You blink at me in confusion, "Remember when we first met?" I asked._

_"Course I do!" You say, grinning, "We were in college, in the park and you were in tears… never did tell me what you were crying about… the thing was though, even when you were crying you were still the prettiest girl I'd ever seen. Still are, too." I grin._

_"Oh, sweetie!" I said, hugging you. It was touching to hear that from you, especially since I know how awkward you get around romantic things. It was adorable in it's own right, and one of the many reasons I fell head over heels for you, though my family severely disapproved._

_The thing was though, for once in my life I didn't care what they or anyone else thought. I was happy, I was motivated and I was madly in love. I finally stood up to my father and took control of my life, and I now had a great job, two beautiful kids and a husband who loved me as much as I loved him._

_And you know what? It was all because I finally took my chance when I stopped being Madeline the Perfect, and started being Maddie the Ghost-Nut…_

**

* * *

WoM- _There you have it! There isn't a single pure Jack/Maddie fic I can find, and it was driving me so insane that I had to correct it in at least a minor form. I hope more of you will do stuff like this in the future. I think this has a lot of potential others just aren't seeing! Oh, and a note to Myst, I can't seem to find you at DeviantArt. Can you give me a link to your profile or something?_****

* * *

Thanks to;**

conan98002

Rosadina formerly Tima

TayloWolf

Myst

Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet

**

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**

**Next update;** _December 23rd_

_**See you then!**_


	8. Envy

**WoM- _I was gonna do someone else, but this took on an idea all it's own. Also, I'd like to acknowledge that with this update I've realized I'm starting to become the Queen of Bad Puns…_**

* * *

"_Man will do many things to get himself loved; he will do all things to get himself envied."_

_**-Mark Twain**_

* * *

**Green-eyed Monster**

* * *

_**I gave you everything I had**_

_**My hope, my trust, my life**_

_**I stood by you in troubled times**_

_**Suffering with you in strife**_

* * *

_I love you._

_How many times have I said and thought that? When I was alive, you were all I cared for, and when I died, you became all I had. I should've passed on, but I couldn't without you. I didn't want to lose to in life, and I refused to lose you in death. I'm not powerful, not as a mortal or as a ghost, but I am determined. And what I'm most determined about is to stay with you forever._

* * *

_**And all I wanted in return**_

_**Was what I gave to you**_

_**Your attention, all your love**_

_**To know that you are true**_

* * *

_When people see me, they don't think I'm a romantic. A trouble maker, yes, but not a girl who had sacrificed everything for love, and was still ready to give more. But that's all I really was at heart, and I was always so sure that you felt the same. That you would give me all that I gave you, that you loved me the same._

_Lately, though…_

* * *

_**You think that I don't notice**_

_**When you watch another girl**_

_**You figured I'd accept the pain**_

_**And my rage would not unfurl**_

* * *

_I hate it when I'm trying to get your attention, and your eyes are on someone else. It's like you're making a mockery of our love, of my feelings for you. How can I stay with someone who doesn't give me their all? I'm not the kind of girl who will just accept her place with her head down, following her man everywhere he goes and not complaining about his behavior. My mother was like that, but not me._

_So go ahead, keep watching her, but remember that it might be the straw that breaks the camel's back…_

* * *

_**I'm human just like you are**_

_**And I don't like getting hurt**_

_**You ignored all the warning signs**_

_**So I won't let you treat me like dirt**_

* * *

_You never even noticed._

_You didn't see how mad you were making me, how hurt I was that you never paid me the attention to gave other girls! What do they have that I don't? You know what? I don't even care anymore. Forget them! Forget you! I don't need you, I can look after myself fine! Goodbye, pal, and good luck with those little hussies. You obviously care about them more then me!_

* * *

_**I don't know where I'm going**_

_**Since you were all I had to claim**_

_**But now I'm here and on my own**_

_**And you only have yourself to blame**_

* * *

_I can barely see straight with how mad I am right now. It's stupid of me. I mean, what am I gonna do now? I can fend for myself, not here and not in the Ghost Zone. I've always needed you. But I can't go back now, I won't! Just because I need you doesn't mean it has to show. Besides, I can learn to fend for myself. Or I can find someone better, someone who'd treat me right! That would teach you, wouldn't it. I slow a little at that thought._

_I wonder…_

* * *

_**Yes, I'm the jealous girlfriend**_

_**But then you knew that from the start**_

_**And now I'm here, plotting revenge**_

_**Green-eyed monster, sweet and tart**_

* * *

_I smile down at him as he's talking to his two friends, the dorky looking one with the glasses and the spooky girl who always wore black. I saw the look he gives the girl as he jokes around with her, almost at the brink of flirting. It's almost cute. Back to the point, though, she'd be perfect for what I planned on doing. _

_True I'd have to do some major makeover work in her body, but hey, it'd be worth it in the end. You would learn not to mess with me and I'd have a new, better boyfriend you'd absolutely hate. I grinned as I saw the boy's eyes glow in his anger at the jock bullies, biting back a giggle at the pure irony of this as I snuck into the bathroom to put my plan into action._

_They always say jealousy is a green-eyed monster…_

* * *

**WoM- _That one was obvious after a while, wasn't it? Ah, well. Sorry for the bad pun, and if you haven't figured it out, this takes place during_ Lucky in Love. _Oh, and this story's gonna be on pause for a while so I can work on something else. If I've got time, I'll post something, but I don't think I will until like, the end of January. Sorry!_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet

conan98002

Myst

Nisha Athalwolf

Ytak

* * *

**Next Poem; _Possibly_**_ January 22nd, **but it might (Key word here) be earlier.**_

_**See you then!**_


	9. Create

**WoM- _Did everyone miss me?_ 'laughing' _While I have everyone's attention, I was wondering if you guys wanted me to start updating this fic randomly, and maybe up another story up to update reguarly on Sundays instead._ (I've got a few on my profile,) _It's totally up to you guys, and I promise I won't abandon my poetry. Speaking of which..._**

**Create**

_**Why put my feelings on the chance**_

_**When I choose to love or hate**_

_**I won't be like that, screw romance**_

_**Why leave my life to fate?**_

* * *

_You know how people are always saying how dangerous addictions are? How they ruin people and steal lives and all that stuff? That was always something I agreed with, something I would mock other people for getting involved with, always promising myself that I would never be like that. Like my friends since middle school who ruined themselves with their drug addictions, or my alcoholic father who was drunk every night he stumbled back into the house._

_I'd always hate them for being so weak as to allow something that couldn't even think for itself to control them. It disgusted me to see them desperate for their next hit, and I just couldn't understand why someone would allow themselves to become like that. When I asked my mom about it one day, she gave me an answer that haunts me to this day._

_"Sometimes, there are things about yourself you just have no control over," She told me with a sigh. "Even when you know it's bad for you, and that you should stop… some people keep on going on with their addictions because it makes them feel better about themselves. It gives them a joy nothing else in the world can bring, and by the time they're in too deep, it's too late to turn back,"_

_I rolled my eyes at that answer and scoffed before turning and walking away, still refusing to cut anyone any slack. As far as I saw it, it was all their fault. They should've taken better care of themselves._

_Then I came down with my own addiction, and suddenly I understood what my mom meant._

* * *

_**I've got the talent, that I now know**_

_**And I just can't force myself to wait**_

_**I've paid my dues, both high and low**_

_**Though some were just way too late**_

* * *

_I wasn't hooked to drugs or alcohol, though. Actually, I've never even called it an addiction out loud, because I knew how absolutely stupid that it would sound to people who didn't know what I was talking about, like being addicted to drugs used to sound stupid to me. Still, that's the only way I can describe it. _

_Even now, I can't stop myself, I can't control it. And every time I try, I feel like I'm murdering myself slowly on the inside. I hate feeling so dependent on anything else, I hate not being able to control these emotions, this amazing charge I get, but at the same time, I love it. Because I know that this feeling is mine and mine alone, and unlike people who need outside things to get them to feel good about themselves, I've got something right here inside of me that does the job even better._

_When I first realized what I felt and what was happening to me, I tried to reason it all off. It made me feel good, and it never hurt anyone else, why should I stop? I never had to admit to other people how I felt, and when they actually praised me for what had going on for me, it made it even better. Suddenly, I was a Queen, completely untouchable by anyone else. That was the Deep End for me. That was when it became too late to turn back…_

* * *

_**No one can ruin what I've got**_

_**Can't kill this thirst I cannot sate**_

_**No one can't chill a flame so hot**_

_**Or stop a high that feels this great**_

* * *

_After that, my whole life circled around my addiction. School didn't matter to me anymore, friends and family obligations all faded. All that was there was me and this intense, passionate feeling that made me feel so alive._

_That was probably both the best and worse time of my life. It felt like I was alone, and my home life was one constant screaming match after another, but at the same time, I could channel all that into my passion and get me through anything. It made me better then them, stronger then them, and I still wasn't hurting anyone but myself with it. _

_I mean, so what if my grades slipped a little? It didn't matter to me, I was never college material anyways, especially not after I figured out what I really wanted to do with my life. Who cares If my old man thought I was wasting my life? It was a better way to waste it then with one booze after another, right?_

_It didn't hurt anybody, that's what I kept telling myself. And other then my grades and the fighting, it didn't even hurt me. It was a harmless addiction, completely innocent. I had absolutely nothing to worry about, right?_

_That's when I met Addiction's 'beloved' cousin, Obsession._

* * *

_**Because I love to play this game**_

_**Even if I can't win checkmate**_

_**It gives me freedom, gives me fame**_

_**When I've nothing else to await**_

* * *

_He seemed so harmless at first. Nothing about him would've suggested he was dangerous, from his looks to the way he'd stare at my feet instead of my eyes when he stammered while trying to talk to me. It was actually kind of flattering._

_So, I decided there was no danger in talking to him, in letting him buy me drinks or compliment me in his own, breathless way. I've always been something of an attention hog, so I lapped it all up, never really serious when I'd flirt back. After all, I'd decided a long time ago my Addiction would be my first and last love. No man would ever be able to make me as happy…_

_I never saw any of the signs, and it was stupid of me to miss them, to keep up what I thought of as a string of endless pity-dates. I always figured it worked out best for both of us that way. If he thought of himself as my boyfriend, he'd keep all the other jerks off of me so I could get some peace, and he was certainly happier after we'd been 'dating' for a while, anyone with eyes could see that._

_Then he proposed to me._

_'Shocked' was probably about as huge an understatement as you can make about how I felt when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said no right off the bat. Like I said before, I didn't love him. If anything, I saw him just a friend, and the guy I'd kiss from time to time. Not to mention the fact that I was only seventeen. I mean, NOBODY gets married at seventeen anymore!_

_Anyways, that kind of made me realize how serious he was about me, and I decided to cut it off before he got hurt anymore. I couldn't make myself fall in love with him, especially when my heart and soul belonged purely to my passion, and I figured that breaking it off meant he could find the perfect girl to settle down with if that was really what he wanted so badly. _

_I didn't know who he was looking for, but I did know that even if he saw her in me, I wasn't able to commit myself to time, not then and not ever. It made perfect sense that breaking up was the best thing for us to do._

_Unfortunately, he didn't see it that way. That night, he came in during my job with a gun, He shot and killed three people before committing suicide, me among them._

_When I woke up in the Ghost Zone, I was scare, pissed off and empty all at once. It took me a while to come to terms with what had happened to me, and when I did, it only made me angrier. I felt like I'd been cheated, cut down when I still had so much I wanted to do, and just because some punk was too weak to move on and see what I already knew._

_Those days were Hell for me, one nothing after another, a constant agony of loss and pain. I wanted so badly to die, even though I was already dead, then I wanted to know why hadn't moved on. Hell would've been better then that nothingness in my opinion._

_That's when my afterlife was saved by the half-ghost known as Plasmius, when he re-introduced me to my addiction. It was then that it hit me that that was why I was still here. I wasn't ready to leave this world just yet, to go anywhere without the very thing that defined my soul._

_That's when I was reborn, with a new purpose and my old addiction._

* * *

_**So go on and scoff and criticize**_

_**What's behind my soul's iron gate**_

_**Through all the empty dreams and lies**_

_**I'll still remain here to create…**_

* * *

_A lot of people don't understand me, either because they can't or won't. Those that won't I could care less about, but those who can't…_

_Well, all I can say is that a part of me hopes it stays that way for ya. After all, my addiction is both my blessing and my curse, and I'm not sure if everyone's willing to give up what I have all for one purpose, for one love that was too great to ignore._

_Because I know that's what it is for me. My addiction, my love, my sole being, it all rests with my music, which the power inside of me I can't begin to understand that lets me make a song out of everything and nothing. Even when my guitars, (given to me by Plasmius) break in half, my music cannot, **will not** die._

_So yeah, I know it probably sounds weird or stupid or creepy to you, but honestly I can't say I care. Because it's how I feel and if you can't understand that, that's your problem._

_So yeah, I'll admit it; I'm Ember McLain and I'm addicted to my music, tomy ability to create…_

* * *

**WoM- _There you go! This is for_ IwuvMyKenshyPoo, _who wanted me to do Ember again, and all of you out there who write, draw or otherwise express yourself through art. It really is an addiction, ne?_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

BlueMyst19

conan98002

IwuvMyKenshyPoo

Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet

Fey Phantom

misaoshiru

SummersSixEcho

wilted petal

* * *

**Next Poem;** _January 29th_

**_See you then!_**


	10. Rain

**WoM- _In my defense, I honestly have no idea where this one came from. Well, actually I do, but it's personal and a little embarrassing. Anyways, read on and gimme some feedback please!_**

* * *

**Rain**

_**My heart pounds with the thunder**_

_**And chills run down my spine**_

_**A beat taps against my window**_

_**Making me feel so divine**_

* * *

'Tap! Taptap! Tap tap!' 

_My pencil stopped mid-word as the first hints of a surprise storm caught my ears. Looking up from the homework I was doing, my eyes are drawn to the dark clouds outside, where the first droplets were already leaving trials of water running down the window. I can't suppress my grin as I turn to you._

_"Danny," I whisper, shaking you from your nap over your own book. "Hey, Danny!" Grumbling, you wake at later, giving me a dirty look._

_"What?" You asked irritably._

_"A storm's coming in," I whisper. Your eyes widened and immediately fly to the window, and a grin spreads across your face._

_"Alright!" You cheer, grabbing my hand, "Come on, let's hurry!"_

_"Relax!" I laughed, running after you as fast as my eight year old legs could go, "It's not like the storm's gonna just disappear on us!"_

_"Well, you never know!" You tell me sagely, "Lots of other things disappear, right?" I giggle, not denying the truth in that._

_"That's cuz you lose stuff," I tell you, "Because you're so easily distracted. You'll put it somewhere and forget you set it down,"_

_"Am not!" You defend yourself. "Now come on, let's go already!" Laughing, I peel off my shoes and socks as you do the same, and we open the door and head out into the storm._

_I grin widely as the rain drips over my face, soaking my clothes and hair as I chase after you when you run through the wet grass, which tickled at my feet as I ran. I tackle you to the ground, and we both land in a muddy puddle just as the storm picks up_ _to the point where we can barely see one another, and we both laugh hysterically as we shove mud into each other's face, knowing that we'd get into trouble later (Me especially) and not really caring…_

* * *

_**I lose control of self-restraint**_

_**Reckless energy starts to through**_

_**I'm too old to keep playing the game**_

_**But have no control over what I do**_

* * *

_"Are you sure?" You ask me again, your nose pressed against the glass._

_"The weatherman said we'd get a storm…" I told him, also eyeing the gray clouds hopefully. Behind us, Tucker groaned._

_"Come on," He griped, "You two still play that game?"_

_"Why not?" You challenged him, your ten year old eyes flashing in defiance as if daring him to make fun of you. I couldn't help but grin._

_"Aren't you worried about getting dirty?" Tucker asked, "Or what if you catch a cold?" you roll your eyes as the boy points this out._

_"You sound like my mom," You told Tucker pointedly. I giggle as he blushes at the accusation._

_"Do not!" He protests._

_"Yeah you do!" I told him, grinning. He glares at me before sinking into a couch to sulk to himself._

_"Fine!" He said, "Catch Phenomena for all I care!" I wondered how he even knew what that was, but didn't wonder too long as the rain started to sprinkle on the ground._

_"YAY!" You and I shout as one, racing to the door. You beat me out first, and Tucker's last statement made me pause before following._

_"You know, I can get Danny sticking with this game, but I really don't see why you like it so much," He tells me, "I mean, you're a girl! Girl's aren't supposed to like getting all wet and cold and muddy." I hesitate before smiling at him._

_"I dunno," I say, "I guess it's not something I want to give up just yet. Maybe my mom's right and I'll grow out of it someday, but for now the rain is my playground. Sure you don't wanna join us?" Part of me hoped he's refuse. Rain Time was always You and Me time, and we didn't get that often._

_"Pass," Tucker said, making a face, "I'm happy being warm and dry, thanks." I grin at him._

_"Guess that's your loss, huh?" I say before laughing and heading out the door, shutting it behind me._

_"Hey, come on!" You call to me from the puddle you're standing in, waving your arms to catch my attention, "It's no fun to play alone!" I grin._

_"Okay!" I call, "But it's your turn, remember?" And, before you can respond, I take off through the wet grass, laughing when you finally catch on and follow._

_"No fair!" I yell when you tackle me._

_"No fair nothing!" You call back, grinning, "You got a head start, remember?"_

_"Just cause you're so slow," I reminded him._

_"I caught you, didn't I?" You point out._

_"I wasn't talking about running, smart one," I call back over the rain, getting up and running away with a laugh before you work that out._

_"…HEY!"_

* * *

_**Splashing barefoot in the puddles**_

_**I laugh and stick out my tongue**_

_**And as I catch all the drops I can**_

_**A happy squeal leaves my lungs**_

* * *

_"Aww, come on!" You whine._

_"Danny, I can't," I said, trying to keep the longing out of my voice. We were too old to keep up this game anymore, and I had to be the one to stop them as much as I hated the thought of doing so._

_"Please?" You begged. I hesitated a moment, glancing outside again wistfully at the rain that was clouding the windows._

_Still, an eighth grader couldn't be seen running around in the rain like a little kid. Especially if she had a reputation to protect. Besides, you needed to grow up too, and that wasn't going to happen if I kept up these baby games with you._

_"No way," I said firmly, "We've got better things to worry about, Danny."_

_"Come on," you said persistently. "Last one?"_

_"That's what you said last time," I reminded you. At the look on your face, I sighed in defeat. "Fine," I groan, "But it's really the last time this time!"_

_Letting out a cheer, you jump up and run outside. I smile as I follow you trying to keep my pace slower to hide my eagerness._

_Nowadays I was genuinely torn over how I should act compared to how I did, and nowhere was that more obvious then with this childhood game of ours. It didn't really matter too much to me that mom disapproved of it, since we saw eye to eye on so little anyways, but I did want to think that I was getting older, more responsible. _

_No one would ever think that if they saw me running around soaking wet playing a game that was a combination of tag, wrestling and slip-n-slide. Still, it was our game, and not playing seemed like I'd be breaking some unwritten law of the Cosmos._

_So I followed you outside, racing after you as you run away since it's my turn to 'catch.' We end up running around for a long time before I finally tackle you after you slip in muddy grass._

_"Klutz," I laughed, standing up._

_"Gimme a break!" You grumble, "It's slippery out, okay?"_

_Giggling, I lift my face to the downpour, closing my eyes to enjoy the feel of the rain on my face, the sounds and electric sensations of the storm brewing so powerfully above us…_

'This is my idea of paradise,' _I sighed happily,_ 'Just us two and the rain, no school, no parents… just us…'

* * *

_**I grin as you start to laugh too**_

_**Proud this moment is ours alone**_

_**Sliding in the cold downpour**_

_**In a game I should condone**_

* * *

_"Come on, slow poke, you're taking forever!"_

_"Yeah, yeah," You laugh, rolling your eyes, "In case you haven't noticed, this IS a routine patrol. That means looking and not just running around like chickens with their heads cut off._

_"Nice visual." I said making a face, "And I know, but I want to get done soon. It looks like it's going to-!" That's when the Thunder roared just before the heaven's opened up and a drenched the two of us to the bone in seconds, "-rain." I groaned. You, on the other hand, just shrugged._

_"What's the big deal?" You ask, "It's just rain. We used to play in it all the time as kids."_

_"That was a long time ago," I reminded you absently. "Look, let's just get somewhere dry, okay?" Too late I saw that evil grin pass your face._

'SPLAT!' _I yelped at the mud that suddenly covered my face and shirt._

_"DANNY!" I yelled, glaring at you. You only laugh._

_"You're turn to run!" You remind me._

_"Forget it," I said stubbornly, "I'm NOT playing!" I screamed again when I got hit by a mud ball._

_"Come on," You say playfully, "It didn't kill us as kids, did it?"_

_"Dan-ny!" I growled, trying to wipe the mud way. You disappear on me, and next thing I knew, I had mud on the back of my head. I growled._

'Alright, that's it!' _Without warning, I turned and tackled you to the ground, sending us both rolling down the wet, muddy hill. When we finally came to a stop at the bottom, we separated, looking at each other._

_You were covered from head to toe in mud, soaked to the bone and probably colder then usual, just like when we were kids. I had no doubt I was in a worst condition then you, but looking at you I couldn't contain my giggles. _

_After all, it's not every day you see a Ghostly Superhero looking like he just got back from a mud wrestling match. You join me with no hesitation, and we both lie there, laughing hysterically just because…_

* * *

_**I still look back upon those times**_

_**When the clouds start to gather low**_

_**And I smile at the memories**_

_**Of the game only we know**_

* * *

'Tap! Taptap! Tap tap!' 

_With a familiar sence of déjà vu, I looked up, my gaze instantly drawn to the window. A faint smile touches my lips when I see the rivers of rain tricking down the glass and become lost in memories…_

_"Mommy?" Blinking out of my thoughts, I turn to meet the wide blue eyes of my daughter, who looked faintly annoyed with something._

_"What's wrong, Crystal?" I asked, putting my pencil down and standing up. Straightening my business skirt before walking over to my six year old daughter._

_"Ryan and DJ locked me out of the room again!" Chrissie complained. "They keep saying they're playing a game and that no girls are allowed!" Shaking my head, I leave the room and knock on my son's door, ignoring the DO NOT ENTER sign._

_"Ryan!" I called out, "Let your little sister in right now, young man!" Moments later, my son opened the door, making a face as my nephew tried desperately to look around the taller boy._

_"But Mo-om!" Ryan whined, "We're doing guy stuff in here! Chrissie wouldn't wanna play anyways!"_

_"You won't know until you let her try." I told him with a stern glare. "Besides, there are lots of things girls can find fun that boys wouldn't think they'd like."_

_"Yeah, yeah…" Ryan grumbled before holding the door open to allow Chrissie access to the room. Squealing in delight, the girl ran before Ryan closed the door again, I put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in for a private word._

_"Promise me you'll give Chrissie a chance, okay?" I told him. "Who knows, maybe you'll find the game's more fun with her playing too, and DJ's only here when your Aunt and Uncle come for a visit. Chrissie's here for you whenever you want."_

_"Don't remind me," Ryan said making a face before adding a hesitant, "But I guess I can see your point. I'll try to include her, mom."_

_"That's all I asked," I said, kissing his forehead before moving to head back to my office. I grin widely as he exclaimed a loud 'YUCK!' before his door shuts._

_"What was that about?" You ask curiously as you exit your room, glancing at my son's door._

_"Ryan and DJ were playing and wouldn't let Chrissie join them," I explained. "I was just giving Ryan a talk about being nicer to his sister."_

_"You'd know about that, huh?" You chuckled._

_"Of course," I said, keeping my face completely straight, "After all, I had the most evil little brother a girl could ask for."_

_"I'd take offense to that if I didn't know it was true," You told me with a grin, "We used to be horrible to one another before the accident. Even after for a while."_

_"Being involved in what we did does that, I supposed," I sighed, "Still, I'm glad that everything's settled now. And you even found a girl willing to over look the fact that you disappear every now and then." You groan at the horrible pun._

_"Ja-azz…" You say in exasperation. I laughed._

_"I'm just playing with you, Danny!" I told him, glancing out a window again. I can't stop the smile as I remember the way we used to horseplay and laugh as the rain fell around us, when you were a hero and I wasn't your protector. All we were was what we were supposed to be; two sibling sharing a game only they understood…_

_My smile widens as I turn back to you._

_"Hey, Danny?" I said, completely ignoring the fact that my company was expecting those papers on my desk by tomorrow morning, "You up for a walk in the rain?"_

* * *

**WoM- 'blushing' _My brothers and I have a rather stupid game we played all the time when we were little, games that seem especially stupid to me now. Still, I adored it as a child and look back fondly on the memories of them. I don't always get along with Tony and Albert, _(we've forced the neighborhood to wake up to our screaming matches more often then I care to remember,) _and God know I've got my flaws, but special moments like that you know only you share with a younger brother or sister are what makes being an older sibling worth all the frustrations._ 'grumbles' _Great, now I've got the strong urge to actually show the brats some affection…_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

memoirs of a faded memory

IwuvMyKenshyPoo

Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet

Fey Phantom

Tetsukon

midnightgoth9

BlueMyst19

Galateagirl

conan98002

Sila Ninque

SummersSixEcho

silent but not unheard

Saramis Kismet

* * *

**Next update;** _February 5th_

_**See you then!**_

* * *

ATTENTION!

****

As I'm sure most of you are already aware, Nick is threatening to cancel Danny Phantom after just three seasons (for the official statement from Butch, go here **_without the spaces)_**

http/ butchhartman. com/ forumIII/ index. php? act ST&f 2&t 7072&st 0# entry170905****

****

Naturally, I'm one of the people fighting to keep Danny Phantom running, so I beg you to send in letters with my own to the following address;

Cyma Zharghami or **Marjorie Cohn **

Nickelodeon

or 

1515 Broadway

New York, New York

10036

USA

Attention: Programming.

And to sign the petitions below (Again, without the spaces);

http/ www. petitionspot. com/ petitions/ SaveDannyplease

http/ www. petitionspot. com/ petitions/ fightfordanny

http/ www. petitionspot. com/ petitions/ DannyPhantom

**_And don't forget to spread the word! With your help, we can save Danny!_**


	11. Mind Games

**WoM- 'Making a face' _Well, I hope you guys are happy with this one. My mom read this poem over my shoulder when I was writing it and came _this_ close to having me committed before I explained things to her._ 'grumbles' _She still isn't convinced that I'm 'all here' though… sad thing is, she's probably right. Then again, though, who wants to be when wherever I am is so much more fun!_**

* * *

"_The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age."_

_**-Lucile Ball**_

* * *

**Mind Games**

* * *

_**Scream my little lab rats**_

_**As you try to run away**_

_**Go ahead and claw and chew**_

_**But you are here to stay**_

* * *

_I hate kids._

_They're a waste of money and space in my opinion. They don't do anything constructive for society, they don't earn money or help out… the only thing they're good at is talking back and causing trouble._

_Just a few days ago one of the brats I'm supposed to be helping called me an old hag. Me! I wanted to strangle the little whelp then and there, but this job earns good money and I can't afford to lose it. Not when I still had to pay for my mother's nursing home._

_Still, the only person here who shares my sentiments is my assistant. That was one of the reasons I chose him, though. He was a lucky find, I admit, and perfect for what I needed to get done. Loyal, quiet, not too bright and eager to please._

_Getting back to that kid, though. Like I said, I would've taken great pleasure in murdering him after that rude comment, but instead I tried a different approach, one I found almost as satisfying in it's own right. _

_The thing about teenagers is that although they think they're adults, they're still not up to the adult mindset. Their ways of thinking, their self doubts and fears of the unknown made them perfect candidates for insecurity. As a matter of fact, it's rare to find a high school student that's genuinely satisfied with themselves._

_So I used that for my revenge. I picked at the kid until I found that soft spot and I kept pointing it out, bringing him down until the fire in his eyes died away. The rude comments and gestures came fewer and far between then, much to my liking. True, he was withdrawing form society, but what did I care?_

* * *

_**Are you scared sweet pets?**_

_**You should be, oh if only you knew**_

_**The tests and mazes that I have**_

_**For you to run so helpless through**_

* * *

_Interesting thing is, though, no one cared too much about what I'd done. Well, that wasn't true, they did care, but it was the opposite of what I was expecting. Instead of being chastised for tearing down the spirited teenager bit by bit, I was praised for making an undisciplined child behave._

_This did wonders for my career, of course, but it also came with a downside. It meant that I was trapped working with rude, bothersome brats day in and day out every day of my life. They were constantly being paraded in and out of my office, and it was infuriating._

_Still, my job turned much more fun when I started taking the approach I had with the first boy on them. There's something about watching defiance slip away into pain and suffering that is both intriguing and addicting. And as a woman of science, it was my sworn duty to press on with any research that captured my attention, right?_

_Bertrand certainly never minded. In fact, he probably found it as entertaining as I did, though he never said as much out loud I think the thought that he could have found any sort of entertainment from children, if even in their suffering, mortified the man. I could certainly relate. Unlike my assistant, though, I'm not afraid to press on despite my feelings on the subject._

_After all, the more teens I 'cured,' the more popular and famous I became…_

* * *

_**It never takes too much you see**_

_**A careless jab or jest here and there**_

_**After all you're merely children**_

_**And there's not another soul to care**_

* * *

_Soon, though, it all came back to haunt me. Because one boy did care what I was doing to his friend. One boy noticed the change and hated me for it._

_Enough to run us both off that cliff and into the sea below, Bertrand with me._

_I always found it ironic. Teenagers had ruined, saved and taken my life all at once. I resented the fact that I needed them so much, but at the same time took pleasure in the fact that they suffered because of me._

_In death, I still needed them. My body aged faster then normal for some reason, and I needed teen misery to stay young. Bertrand needed it, too, but he wasn't as talented with gathering it as I was._

_At any rate I was stuck in the Ghost Zone, without a teen to spare, when I started hearing rumors. Rumors about you, a child who was half ghost and half human, a boy who fought other ghosts to save your friends and family. And that's when I started thinking..._

* * *

_**So let me use each one of you**_

_**To gain all my wants and needs**_

_**Let me have your misery**_

_**My wretched little seeds…**_

* * *

_Getting in was simple. That Lancer was a fool who put too much stake on my reputation and didn't really notice anything was off, and that girl, Jazz, was so concerned about you, her precious little brother, that she was willing to take any help she could get._

_And you... You were just as I thought you'd be; desperate and overburdened, with enough misery to keep Bertrand and I young for decades in you alone. And that was before I even started working. You were a perfect candidate._

_Unfortunately, you were also smarter then Lancer gave you credit for. You figured me out without relying on the help of adults, or even your friends, you took out Bertrand too. But you didn't get me..._

_I nearly had you when the question of your status in the world of both the living and the dead came up. Then that wretched sister of yours showed up again, stealing all the youth I worked so hard to get and sending me back to the Ghost Zone..._

_That where I am now, plotting my revenge against you Fenton siblings, the two brats who ruined everything. It may take a while, but I'm a patent woman, and I can make you suffer like no one else can..._

_After all, that's my talent, isn't it?_

* * *

**WoM- _Imagine what Mom thought when she read this._ 'makes another face,' _Oh, and you know what slow lil' me realized about poetry? See, it can be written other places and copied out on a computer much more easily then stories, especially when you have one boring, easy class after another at school…_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

memoirs of a faded memory

Laughing Hyena

Lumias

BlueMyst19

Galateagirl

Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet

Samantha-Girl Scout

Tazzel Quickbow

* * *

**Next update;** _February 12th_

**Next Poem;** _Protector_

_**See you then!**_

* * *

ATTENTION!

****

As I'm sure most of you are already aware, Nick is threatening to cancel Danny Phantom after just three seasons.

****

Naturally, I'm one of the people fighting to keep Danny Phantom running, so I beg you to send in letters with my own to the following address;

Cyma Zharghami or **Marjorie Cohn **

Nickelodeon

or 

1515 Broadway

New York, New York

10036

USA

Attention: Programming.

And to sign the petitions I have posted on my profile won't let me up the link here.)

****

And don't forget to spread the word! With your help, we can save Danny!


	12. Protector

**WoM- Samantha-Girl Scout _asked for this one, and she has received!_ 'grins' _See? I didn't forget you!_**

* * *

_"For how many things, which for our own sake we should never do, do we perform for the sake of our friends."_

_**-Marcus Tullius Cicero**_

* * *

**Protector**

* * *

_**Blinded by this bright light**_

**_I speak though I'm unheard_**

_**To me this constant emptiness**_

_**Is really too absurd**_

* * *

_"Isn't this coat just darling, dear?" I don't even bother to disguise my disgust._

_"It's fur, Mom!" I tell her, glaring slightly. "From baby seals!"_

_"I should hope so," Mom responded, "For the price I'm paying for it, it'd better be,"_

_"MOM!" I yelled. But she only ignores me. She always does when it comes to the things that are important to me. Of course, once it comes to things that SHE disapproves of, I'm expected to drop everything and listen to her._

_Hypocrite…_

_It always frustrated me how she acted like the views and opinions of others never mattered, how she tried to force her will upon others. How was that at all fair to their own individuality, their personal choice to do whatever they saw as right or wrong?_

_I always thought everyone had something in them so completely different then anyone else that you just had to admire it. At school it's especially easy to notice, since that's where everyone tried the hardest to hide it, to 'fit in' with whatever was perceived as 'popular' or 'cool.'_

_Me? I could never be like that. I had too much pride in what I was to let that down now or ever…_

* * *

_**Who are they to tell anyone**_

_**How we should act or live?**_

_**Why only feed the fire**_

_**Of this world that cannot give?**_

* * *

_"Miss Manson…"_

_I didn't flinch as I turned to meet Mr. Lancer's disapproving frown, but you and Tucker exchanged uneasy glances. You knew what was coming just as well as I did, and you knew how I'd react._

_"Is there a problem, Mr. Lancer?" I asked him._

_"Yes, as a matter of fact," Mr. Lancer said dryly. "Your outfit's in direct violation of our school's dress code, with I know you are aware of, Sam,"_

_"Yeah," I nodded, smirking, "The three Bs, right?"_

_"I beg your pardon?" Mr. Lancer said, sounding alarmed._

_"Boobs, Bellies and Butts," I listed off. You and Tucker manage to turn your laughs into coughs at the last second when you saw the look on Mr. Lancer's face at that._

_"Man Alive, Miss Manson!" Mr. Lancer said with a dark scowl. "Go to Mrs. Ishiyama's office, now! And I'll be calling your parents in momentarily."_

_"Go ahead," I challenged, walking away. "You think getting into trouble scares me? I'm not gonna change who I am and what I like just because it doesn't suit you!"_

_"Miss Manson," Mr. Lancer warned. Rolling my eyes, I turned to continue my trek to the principal's office, accidentally bumping into Paulina as I went._

_"Watch it, Loser!" She snapped, glowering at me. I turned a critical eye to her, noticing that her clothes were in more violations then mine were._

_"Nice outfit, Paulina," I said mockingly, giving Mr. Lancer a pointed look. He frowned at me before glancing at Paulina and turning away without a word._

'Ain't that the way it always goes…' _I thought bitterly, walking away._

_In the eyes of the teachers, pretty popular students were flawless, allowed to get away with anything. It was those who had their own voices that got the slap on the wrist…_

* * *

**_I can't sit by and watch in pain_**

_**As the helpless are controlled**_

_**I refuse to wallow in regret**_

**_Always doing what I'm told_**

---

_"Where's that paper, Mikey?" Dash growled as he pinned the so-called 'loser' against his locker._

_"I-it's right here, Dash!" Mikey squeaked back, reaching into his backpack with trembling hands and drawing out the paper in question. Dash smirked after he took it, shoving the boy against his locker again before letting him go so he slid to the floor._

_"Loser." Dash scoffed as he left. I scowled, my temper getting the better of me._

_"Leave him alone, Dash!" I snapped, stepping between the two. Dash looked surprised to find me there before he scowled._

_"Oh?" He sneered, "And what'll you do if I don't? Sic your loser boyfriend on me?"_

_"Danny isn't a loser!" I said coldly, offended on your behalf, before adding with a little less vigor "And he's not my boyfriend! Besides, I don't need him to fight my battles."_

_"Aw, how sweet," Dash laughed mockingly. "You think I'm scared of you?"_

_"No," I said, "But I think you should be," The glare I sent Dash at this made some of his cockiness fade before he snorted and started away._

_"Whatever," He muttered as he left. I scowled after him before I turned to Mikey._

_"You okay?" I asked him. I didn't know the boy too well, but I did know he deserved better treatment then that._

_"Fine," Mikey muttered, glaring hatefully in the direction Dash had gone in. "Why can't a ghost ever attack him or something? I'd love to see Danny Phantom show that guy what he puts us through…"_

_"Don't say that," I said quickly, a little upset that it was your name he used in that statement. You got bad publicity as it was, I didn't want to think of how you'd react to hearing someone say something like that…_

_"Yeah, not like it'll ever happen," Mikey laughed bitterly as he stood, "Anyways, thanks again. I'd better go…" I frowned as I watched him leave._

_"Phantom fights to keep people safe," I called out to him. "Not for revenge or because he has something to prove. He does it because he cares about us. Remember that before you say something like that again," And with that, I left, not looking back to see Mikey's reaction._

* * *

**_There's so much in this world_**

**_Other cannot or just won't see_**

**_Too many here who just won't speak_**

_**To maintain what they believe**_

* * *

_"SAVE THE FOREST!" I yelled into my megaphone, waving around fliers to everyone who walked by. The petition I had pinned to a clipboard was tucked under one arm since my hands were full._

_"Hey Sam," You say as you come up to me, looking faintly amused. "New cause?"_

_"The Axion Labs are planning on bulldozing a forest to build a new warehouse!" I said, hopping down from the box I'd been using to stand on and holding up a flier for you to see. "They care more about making money then the trees and the animals that have lived there longer then any self-centered humans have,"_

_"Ain't that life…" You said dryly, shaking your head. I raised an eyebrow at you._

_"You know, I'd figure you'd care a little more now that Vlad is the owner of the Axion Labs," I said pointedly._

_"I never said I didn't care!" You defend yourself hastily. "Anyways, where's Tucker?"_

_"No clue," I said honestly, "I told him what was going on and he went AWOL on me." You laughed slightly at that._

_"Big surprise," You say dryly. But then you smile. "Need some help?"_

_"Really?" I said, brightening. "You'd give me a hand without me forcing you to?"_

_"You've given up a lot more for me," You reminded me with a pointed smile. I felt color raise to my cheek at the effect this had on your eyes, intense and overwhelming no matter what color they were._

_"Thanks," I manage at last, handing you the clipboard to sign. After you add your signature, I give you a stack of flyers, "Think you can hang these up for me?"_

_"You got it," Danny said, taking them as he handed the clipboard back to me, "And if you need celebrity endorsement, I'm sure Phantom will be more then happy to support the cause," I laughed a little at that._

_"Lets see if we can pull this off without ghost interference first, kay?" I said with a grin. You smile back._

_"Got it!" You said, taking off to hang up the flyers. I shake my head and smile gently to myself as I watch you trip over some unseen crack in the sidewalk, catching yourself just before you face plant._

'Just having you there for me is more then enough…' _I thought warmly to myself._

* * *

_**But I refuse to be like that**_

**_There's too much here I love_**

_**So even if I stand alone**_

**_I'll push back for every shove_**

* * *

_"Hey, Danny," I stiffen up at the familiar voice that purred out your name, resisting the urge to growl._

_"Paulina?" You say, sounding faintly surprised. _

_And why shouldn't you be? She never acknowledged you unless she needed something from you, after all. But you seem to conveniently forget this little fact every time she bats those blue eyes of hers your way._

_"What do you want?" I ask, not even bothering to hide my distain. Paulina shot me an irritated look before turning back to Danny._

_"I was wondering if you could be a sweetheart and come to my beach party this Friday?" Paulina said sweetly. "And maybe you can bring your little ghostly friend?"_

_"Uh…" You say, looking trapped. "Well… I…"_

_"He already has plans," I blurted out, stepping between you and Paulina to glare at the cheerleader._

_"Oh?" She said coolly, "What are you, his secretary all of a sudden?"_

_"No," I said, "I'm his friend, and we've already made plans this weekend to hang out," Paulina scowled at me._

_"Uh, fine!" She snapped, "Losers…" She sauntered away at a brisk pace, and I scowled as I watched her leave._

_"I've got plans this weekend?" You asked, raising an eyebrow. I cringe slightly._

_"Ah…" I said lamely, "W-well… I just didn't like the way she was acting is all," That was honest enough. There is little more powerful then my hatred of Paulina when she's all over you like that…_

_"Well, she didn't have to say that to you…" You agreed, "That was rude of her. To treat you like that, I mean." I felt my jaw drop at that. Were you actually admitting that Paulina the 'Perfectly Flawless,' could actually do wrong? "Well, since we now have plans this weekend, you mind telling me what they are?" You continue playfully, grinning at me. I smile back._

_"Mega Movie Night at your place?" I suggested._

_"Sounds good to me," You laugh, "You bring the Movies, I'll take care of popcorn and pizza, deal?"_

_"Deal!" I said, grinning at you widely. We both blush a little as an uncomfortable silence falls upon us, and the question of our relationship comes into play in my head yet again._

'Not yet,' _I tell myself. _'Things are fine as they are now… just a little longer, then I'll tell him… just a little longer…'

_Then again, that was what I always told myself._

* * *

**_Because that's my personality_**

_**I was born to play this part**_

_**And I will always guard you, too**_

_**Protector of my Heart**_

* * *

_"Danny!" I yelled out as I watch the bricks explode as you hit the side of the building. My cry doesn't phase Skulker as he waits for you to come back out. You don't disappoint him, belting out a ghostly wail that nails him before you fly out after it, connecting a right hook to the ghost's helmet that sends him to the cement._

_"Tucker!" You yell out trough your daze after using the powerful attack, "Thermos!"_

_"I'm on it, Man!" Tucker yelled back, fumbling with the Fenton Thermos._

_"Come on, Tucker!" I said, watching anxiously as Skulker shook off the attack. My worried gaze turned to Danny, who was showing clear sighs of fatigue as he sank to his knees, panting. _

_My worry only increased when the rings of light circled his waist._

_"You'll pay for that attack, ghost child!" The hunter declared with a growl, starting towards you._

_"TUCKER!" You yell out again._

_"I think, it's jammed!" Tucker calls back, fear obvious in his voice. My eyes widen as my body acts on it's own accord, grabbing the nearest thing my hand could connect with and racing towards the ghost. "SAM!"_

_I ignore that shout from Tucker. So does Skulker, since he probably deemed that I was no threat to him from day one._

_That was about to become his biggest mistake._

'WHAP!'

_The ghost yelps in pain as the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick connects with the back of his helmet._

_"Leave Danny alone!" I snarled, glaring at the stunned ghost as he nursed the spot I'd hit and brandishing the bat again. Out of the corner of my eye, I say Tucker scrambling through your backpack, emerging with another thermos which he used to suck up the still surprised Skulker. As soon as the thermos was capped again, I dropped the Anti-Creep stick and rushed to your side._

_"You're insane," You said dryly, "You know that, right? Who goes after a ghost with the Anti-Creep stick?"_

_It worked, didn't it?" I said defensively. You shake your head and smile at me warmly._

_"Thanks Sam," You murmur softly before your eyes close, so you miss my blush completely._

_"Just doing my job," I said just as softly, heaving one of your arms over my shoulders while Tucker took the other side after storing the Thermos in Danny's backpack again._

_"You know, we've really gotta come up with a system for what to do when he passes out like this…" Tucker grunted as we started towards FentonWorks._

_"You can't expect someone to be perfect, Tucker," I said with a frown, "Not even a hero,"_

'Then again,' _I added to myself,_ 'Danny's imperfections are part of why he's so perfect…'

_After all, as often as he had to be my hero, I had to be his, too…_

* * *

**WoM- _Sam's being Danny's hero now!_ 'giggles' _And of course, everyone out there should take a whack at it, too, by saving Danny from his true foe nowadays, the evils of the commercial networking of Nickelodeon_…**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

Ytak

Fey Phantom

Samantha-Girl Scout

Fey Phantom

midnightgoth9

BlueMyst19

IwuvMyKenshyPoo

Ghost Writer's Assistant

Damn Pop-Ups

conan98002

* * *

**Next update;** _February 19th_

**Next Poem;** _Cold_

_**See you then!**_


	13. Cold

**WoM- _See this is another one that hasn't been able to leave me alone for a while, so I decided 'what the hell, it wouldn't be the first time I ticked people off!'_ 'sweatdrops'_ It is also, by FAR the angstiest thing I've EVER done, so be warned!_**

* * *

"_I'm not sadistic. I just happen to take extreme pleasure from the pain and discomfort of others," _

_**-Me ( ;D)**_

* * *

**Cold**

* * *

_**Eyes that burn to my soul's core**_

_**Yet freeze without a touch**_

_**It can't be fair to fight this war**_

_**When I loved you so much**_

* * *

_"Aren't you cold?" I blinked, turning to face my father as he approached me, a coat in his hand, "It's nearly thirty degrees out here, Sweetie. If you're planning to go out again, you should wear this so you don't get sick."_

_"I'm fine, Dad," I answered stepping away from him and towards the door, aching for my escape. The cold air didn't bother me, not when compared to other things that were even colder… "And I'm not gonna be long, okay? I just wanna clear my head a bit, maybe scan the area again." My father frowned at me softly._

_"He's not coming back," He told me softly, his eyes stern and his tone blunt. My dad didn't like evading a problem any more then I did. _

_I guess that's where I got my initial Charge-Head-First-And-Take-No-Prisoners attitude from. Though like him, I'd learned to control it, step back and calculate things before I made a move. It was how I'd lived for so long in such a harsh world, how I helped keep everyone else alive…_

_"I'll be back before dark," I said, not acknowledging his point. A part of me knew he was right… but a bigger part just wouldn't accept that it was all over just like that._

_"But-!" I closed the door behind me before I had to listen to my dad's protest. I felt a little guilty for the tactless treatment of one of the man who was probably the only person I really had left, but I really needed my time alone right now. I just wasn't in the mood to deal with anybody, my dad included._

_Then again, after everything I'd been through, I didn't like letting anyone too close, not even him. How could I? I'd been betrayed by nearly everyone I care about. First my mother, then my mentor, but the worst of all was…_

_I shook my head, trying to dispel these thoughts, but it was already too late. A familiar pain built up in my chest and my eyes pricked with tears I was too stubborn to cry. I closed my eyes to fight the tears back, and was greeted with the memory of the evil glow of your blood red eyes piercing into me, leaving me bare and afraid as your cold voice whispered cruel words, your mouth twisting into that unforgiving smirk…_

_Growling, I shook my head again, trying to get rid of those eyes. YOUR eyes. I hadn't seen them in nearly a month, and they still haunted me like you were watching me just around the next corner…_

'Is that just paranoia?'_ I wondered bitterly, _'Or is it guilt?'_ either way, I was restless lately. _

_I couldn't sleep lately, couldn't eat and I'd start shaking for no explainable reason. Sometimes, I even heard your voice. But the thing that most scared me about that was that it wasn't the cold insensitive one I'd sworn to silence forever, but the one I most longed to forget…_

* * *

_**I refused to understand you**_

_**When first given the chance**_

_**That was my fault, that is true**_

_**But we're partners in this dance**_

* * *

_"…"_

_The silence was deafening in front of the monument now that all the other well-wishers had cleared away, leaving you to mourn in peace and me to give you whatever support I could. _

_Not that I'd be that much help. I'd never felt awkward around you before, but now I couldn't think of anything to say, no matter how much I wanted to console you, to help you through the pain of losing your family… Tucker…_

_…Sam…_

_I closed my eyes, breathing deep to try and restrain the tears. I didn't know any of your family too well, and I didn't get along with your friends… but even I was hurt at the thought that they were really gone. That I'd never get to see them again._

_If it hurt this much for me, you had to be in hell right now._

_"Danny," I said, my voice hoarse from the long silence. "Come on. We need to leave." You didn't blink. Didn't show any sign of hearing me at all. I didn't have the courage to repeat myself._

_My eyes moved from your slumped form to the memorial in front of us for everyone you ever loved. We couldn't give them proper burials. The bodies had been completely obliterated in the explosion. Nothing had survived… nothing could have in that kind of blast…_

_Next thing I knew, I was on my knees, my arms wrapped around you in a tight hug and my face buried into your shoulders. I didn't know who I was trying to comfort any more, me or you._

_"Danny…" What could I say? How could I make you see that I was willing to stand with you through this, like you'd stood with me when everyone else had abandoned me?_

_"They're gone,"_

_My eyes snapped open and my head shot up when I heard that. The first thing you'd said since the accident._

_"They're really gone… aren't they?" you turned to look at me as you asked this, but it was obvious that you didn't really see me. Still, you were trying. You was reaching out, trying to keep in touch with a world you were losing as fast as you'd lost your loved ones._

_"Yes," I answered quietly, taking your hands in my own. "Danny… I… I'm sorry…" What was I apologizing for? The fact your friends and family were all dead? Or was it because I might've been able to do something to prevent it if I'd been there? More likely, though, it had something to do with how I felt so horrible at the empty, broken look into your blue eyes…_

_I jumped in surprise when the empty look was replaced with pure rage so quickly, I completely missed the transformation._

_"DAMN IT!" You screamed, tearing your hands from mine to pound at the earth, "Damn it! This is all my fault! All my…" The rest of your words were indecipherable as they got lost in your sobs._

_"It wasn't your fault, Danny," I told you firmly, raising my voice to make sure you heard me. I was honestly shaken by the display. I'd never seen you act like that before, not when Dash was bullying you at school, not when Mr. Lancer picked on you for small offences… never. "It was an accident. No one knew the Nasty Burger was gonna blow like that."_

_"Jazz did," You told me tonelessly. "She came to warn us… Sam and Tucker were there to defend me… We tried to get out but it was too late… My Dad…"_

_You didn't have to say anything else. I'd heard the rest on the news, and from the police. Mr. Lancer had called your family down to discuss you CAT exam, and Sam and Tucker had shown up to support you, true friends as always. _

_Jazz found out about how the Nasty Burger was a time bomb just waiting to blow and came to warn everyone, only to be caught in the explosion herself when the warning came too late. The only reason you were still alive was because your father had shielded you from the blast, one last noble sacrifice from a father to his son. That alone was enough to make the rest of Amity forgive him for all his bumblings._

_I swallowed painfully, not even wanting to know how this all weighed on your conscience. It wasn't your fault, just one series of misfortunate events after another, but how could you ever see it any other way? How could you ever forgive yourself for their deaths?_

_"It won't stop," You told me hoarsely, closing your eyes. "It feels like I'm dying, but I'm not. Even though I'm the one who deserves to die…"_

_"Don't say that!" I said, my eyes widening at that statement._

_"Don't deny it, Valerie," You didn't even bother to look at me when you addressed me by name. "You hate me more then any of them…"_

_"No I don't!" I said stubbornly, glaring at you as I rose to my feet and put my hands on my hips, "I love you, Danny!" I froze when I realized what I'd just said. That was far from the way I'd wanted to confess my crush on you, after all, and definitely not the right time._

_"Stop it, Valerie," You said, completely unfazed by my confession. "Don't kid yourself like that,"_

_"I'm not kidding myself!" I snapped at you, falling back to my knees to glare at you eye-to-eye, "And I'm not going to let you talk about yourself like that, Danny!" Before I thought about what I was doing, I'd already leaned forward, grabbing a handful of Danny's shirt to pull him in for a kiss._

_It wasn't the loving kind of kiss you hear about all the time in those mushy romance novels. It was too desperate, too pained for that. I wanted so badly for you to know that I was still here. Even with everyone else you loved gone, I was still there for you…_

_You pushed me away with strength I never knew you possessed, jumping to your feet at the same time to glare down at me angrily._

_"Don't you get it, Valerie?" You snapped, your glare never relenting. "Damn it, can't you see?"_

_"See what?" I yelled back, returning the glare. "What are you talking-?" The next thing I knew, a ring of light circled your waist, splitting into two rings that traveled up and down your body, leaving a very familiar and far less welcome teen in your place._

_Danny Phantom._

_"Well, Valerie," You… Phantom… whatever I was supposed to call you… said shortly, "Do you still love me?"_

_I couldn't move. Thought was impossible for me. All I could do was stare into those green eyes, finally seeing the similarities between my crush and my prey. Then my eyes moved down to the emblem on his chest and I didn't _**want**_ to think. All I wanted to do was wake up from this hellish nightmare…_

_Without saying a word, I jumped up and ran away as fast as my legs could carry me, feeling your eyes on my the whole time I ran, even after I'd left you far, far behind._

* * *

_**This chaos on my heart and head**_

_**Keeps driving me to tears**_

_**All the lies that I've been fed**_

_**All these useless fears**_

* * *

'Would I have acted like that if I'd known that was going to be the last time I saw you?' _I wondered sadly as I made my way down the street._ 'What could I have done instead, though, with the way you caught me off guard like that?'_ I never thought about your feelings as I took off like that. I was far too shocked, too hurt by the deceit I'd been victim to._

_You moved away the next day, apparently going to live with Mr. Masters. I didn't see you off, even though Dad offered to drive me to your house to do so. I couldn't bear seeing you again knowing what I now knew. How long had you been planning to trick me like that? And how did I never notice the signs?_

_As angry as was at you for lying to me, I didn't tell anyone you were Phantom. Even when my dad would ask me what happened on that day, shocked that I wouldn't want to help you in your time of need when I'd been the biggest support you'd have so far. At first, it was because I was still coming to terms with it myself._

_Two weeks later, when you came back to Amity, I had a new reason to keep it secret…_

"You're sure you're alright?" Dad asked me on that fateful day, frowning at me in concern. "I can call the lab and tell them I can't come in today if you need company, sweetheart."

"I'm fine, Dad," I said. I wasn't, but nothing my dad could do would change anything now. I knew we needed all the money we could get, and I wasn't going to let my emotional turmoil wreak my dad's life. This was my problem, not his. "I just need a little me time right now. I'll call you if anything comes up." Dad hesitated a moment longer.

"If you say so, Valerie," He says at last, "Call me if you need me for anything. And please stay safe," I was surprised he'd added that last part. After all, I hadn't donned my hunting gear once since I saw you morph into my worst enemy right in front of my eyes, something I knew for a fact dad had noticed.

A part of me wondered later if he'd known somewhere deep down how that day would turn out…

Sighing heavily, I buried my face into my pillow, still reluctant to confront this new twist in my life. Glancing up, my eyes found a picture of us, from a school fair where you and I had been in charge of the shooting corral, being the only two people in school who knew how to successfully fire a gun.

We were both grinning widely into the camera, our eyes dancing with laugher and our expressions a little goofy. You were wearing one of the dumb hats you'd won that day at the dunking booth, where you'd spent a good amount of the day getting retribution on Dash Baxter.

I on the other hand had my face painted up like a leopard, whiskers included and a matching cat ear headband secured on my head. In my arms was a stuffed dog, the prize you'd won me in one of the many times you'd dunked Dash.

It didn't even matter to me that you'd also won prizes for Tucker, Sam, both your parents, Jazz, Mr. Lancer, Mrs. Ishiyama and several students who were just passing by, either. The fact that you'd won it for me still made me feel special…

Looking at the stuffed dog, I suddenly remembered the ghost dog that had gotten me into this mess in the first place, and anger consumed me. Grabbing the picture off the shelf, I threw it at the wall with all my might, the frame shattering on impact.

"Damn it!" I yelled, tearing down all the picture I had of Phantom you on my wall, "Damn you!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, tossing the newspaper clippings everywhere before sinking to my knees. "…Why?"

My eyes welled up with tears, and this time I didn't bother to stop them. I deserved a good cry after all this. Never in my life had I felt so hopeless and alone. Not when my mother abandoned me and my dad when I was still a little girl, not when I lost my friends, house and popularity in a 24 hour timeframe… never.

"Why?"

My eyes were drawn to the crumpled newspaper story about you sitting right next to my hand. The article was from The Post, and it was something about your love life, with picture of not only you, but Paulina and Sam too.

I'd considered most of the article a complete work of crock when I first read it, but still kept it for reference. The black and white picture showed you smirking right into the camera, though the other two of the girls appeared to have caught them off guard. I didn't care about them, though. My eyes stayed trained on your photo. I'd always considered it something of a personal challenge for me, your way of taunting me to come and get you…

…Now, though, I didn't see a monster who needed to be hunted anymore. I saw a kid like me, who'd lost everything else he cared about and was left with nothing to hold onto, nowhere to go.

_'I still have dad,'_ I realized, blinking at the picture as my tears still fell, _'Even when I had everything else taken away, dad was still there to help me, to love me. Danny doesn't have anyone anymore… not even me.'_ I felt a crushing guilt start to gnaw away at my stomach then.

I'd been so selfish, thinking only of myself, when Danny had suffered through much more then I had. And when he turned to me, when I should've stayed to help him, I ran away like a coward, a loser.

Drying my tears the best I could, I stood up and went over to the phone, picking it up to dial Mr. Master's number. Maybe there was still time… maybe I could apologize, fix this before it was too late and Danny and I were left living in pain and regret…

I jumped when a loud beeping noise cut off my thoughts.

_"We're sorry,"_ A pleasant female voice chirped into my ear when I brought the phone back, _"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…"_ I frowned at the message.

_'That can't be right…'_ I thought, pressing down to disconnect before dialing the number again. The same message came back to me, then again when I tried the third time, listening carefully at the numbers to make sure I'd dialed right.

Confused and frustrated, I slammed the phone back on to the hook. After considering my options for a moment, I squared my resolve and grabbed my coat, keys and money, determined to catch the next bus to Wisconsin.

That's when the power cut out.

I stopped short, twisting to look out the window. The street outside and all the nearby apartments were still all lit up, which didn't sit well with me. Tensing, I made my way over to the bed, drawing out the ecto-gun I kept between my mattress and my box spring. I maintained diligence as I slipped silently towards the door, kicking it open and preparing myself for anything.

"Hello, Valerie." I couldn't contain my gasp at the sight of you floating in the middle of my living room, the ecto-gun in my hands lowering.

"Danny?" I whispered hoarsely, my eyes going wide.

You didn't look anything like yourself anymore. Not the way I knew you, at any rate. Your snowy white hair seemed to have the same flame effect as Embers, and your face had gone from a natural, acceptable pale coloring to a sick blue color that was more common among ghost.

The biggest change, though, was in those blood red eyes that were calculating my every move as I made them. The ones showed no emotion, no remorse. Nothing but the hunter's icy instinct I knew all too well.

"What's the matter, Valerie?" You asked tauntingly. "You look like you've seen a ghost." I frowned. That sounded like something you'd say, but it lacked any of the warmth you would've said it in. Just a cold, acidic tone of a cat playing with the prey it'd caught before it killed and devoured it.

"Who are you?" I asked, my ecto-gun raising again, "What have you done with Danny?" You grinned back at me, vampire-like fangs glinting in the green glow of my charging weapon, and the supernatural light you yourself gave off.

"I am Danny," You tell me, fading from view. I jump when you appeared again behind me, whispering into my ear. "I just removed my weaker half."

I jumped away from you as fast as I could without showing my fear, glaring at you as I back myself up until I was trapped against a wall. There were no windows or doors that I could get to without going through you first now, though, so I was pretty stuck. And if the sadistic grin you were giving me now meant anything, you knew it.

"What do you mean weaker half?" I repeated, my glare never relenting.

"Let's just say that that idiot Vlad was right about something for once," You said, your tone lazy, almost bored. As if it was too trivial a subject for you to bother with. "I do much better without my human half weighting me down," I gasped when the insinuation of what he was saying fully hit me.

"What do you mean?" I asked softly, "You didn't… You couldn't have…!"

"Couldn't I?" You jeer, "He was the human, Valerie, not me. I could care less what happened to him, or my family and friends. When I got the chance to be free, I merely took advantage of the perfect situation and got rid of my only liability, since I could be put back as easily as I came out," You laugh at my horrified expression. "Don't look so sad, Valerie, it was what he wanted. No more human emotions, no more guilt… He just wanted all of it to fade away…"

"How did you separate?" I demanded, glaring and raising the ecto-gun again. I didn't know how much help it would be, but it was all I had right now. "Answer me!"

"Plasmius," You answered, smirking, "The first half ghost. Though I suppose you know him better as Vlad Masters?" I felt my eyes widen in shock. Mr. Masters was just like you? Then… this whole time…

"That's right, Valerie," You sneered, as if reading my mind, "This whole time you've been tricked. Plasmius lied to you to get to me. He knew that the old me would never hurt a human, even if they tried to kill me. The new Danny Phantom, however…"

"Shut up," I hissed, "You don't scare me," This… thing… may have come from you, but it wasn't really you, was it? Everything was different, your voice, your gestures, the look in your eyes… it didn't fit up with Fenton OR Phantom.

"Don't I?" You mocked hurt, "Well, I guess I'll have to fix that…" You disappear again and I tense, moving in a circle to try and keep my back front being in one direction for too long. It didn't help, though. Not when you appeared in front of me as if by magic. I braced myself for an attack of some sort, but what I got was much different.

Yanking me forward by my gun arm, you kissed me full on the lips, a harsh and painful kiss, completely lacking of affection. I struggle to get away and you nicked my lips with your fangs in warning before parting at last, pushing me away as hard as you can so I crash into the wall and crumple painfully to the ground.

"Well, Valerie," You called out as I panted for breath, trying desperately to stop my shaking hands. "I ask you again; Do you still love me?" I didn't respond except to glare at you hatefully while I tried to catch my breath, earning a small bark of laugher, "I thought as much…" You drolled out lazily, "At any rate, I'm not going to kill you today. Instead I give you a warning. The human world is too pathetic for me to waste time on right now, so I'm heading into the Ghost Zone. Once I've conquered that, I'll return here to eliminate the rest of mankind."

"Why warn us, then?" I snapped. You grin at me, those fangs glinting again and the blood on one of them- my blood- made my lip throb painfully in a reminder of that kiss.

"Like I said, you humans are pathetic," you answered, "I'm giving you the chance to become at least partially entertaining for me. Don't worry, I'll save Amity Park for last. Too many 'fond' memories here." You laugh coldly as you float upwards, going intangible as you go through my ceiling. "Until then… Valerie."

* * *

_**I locked away my love for you**_

_**And turned to live my life in hate**_

_**Since no matter what we say or do**_

_**This was destined as our fate**_

* * *

_"Valerie?"_

_Jerking back into the present, I turn to face the woman who was approaching me, tense at first but then relaxing when I took in the familiar features of her face, which was still pretty despite the fact that her eyes no longer held the sneaky, manipulative look I knew so well back in high school._

_"Oh, Paulina," I said, slowing to a reluctant stop. After all, I still didn't want to talk to anyone just right now. "It's been a while…" Paulina smiled sadly back._

_"_Si_…" She said quietly._

_Despite her shallow nature back when we were all kids, Paulina had taken pity on human you when you lost everything, though she never actually addressed this with you. She had also been one of the citizens most horrified at the sudden change in your ghost form, refusing to believe her hero could turn on her like that. _

_She'd actually sought you out to confront you, and just barely came back from the meeting alive even with me there to defend her. She'd never been the same since that day, growing eerily quieter and submissive, and eagerly taking over her grandmothers floral and herb store upon her death, despite her family's protest. _

_She was a surprisingly hard worker, and I had no doubt that the flowers I found every year at the memorial for the Fentons both upon the day of their death and the fatal day she herself tried to talk to you were from her._

_"Could you come with me for a moment?" Paulina asked me, "It won't take long, I swear." I wanted to protest, but the earnest look in her eyes made me stop._

_"Sure," I sighed, following her into her store. That was my job, after all, to keep everyone here as safe and happy as possible on my own. _

_I was supposed to be the pillar of strength that fought away the monsters and demons, the encyclopedia of knowledge that worked tirelessly to decipher secrets no human was ever meant to know. I was supposed to be the hero now that you'd abandoned the role. I was the one last hope…_

_"Is it true?" Paulina asked as the door closed behind us. "What everyone's saying I mean. Is Phantom really gone forever?" I wasn't surprised at the question, or the tone Paulina asked it in. Though she'd hidden it well from others, I knew she'd always hoped, for almost ten long, hard years, that maybe some inkling of the old you she'd fallen in love with in high school would return._

_How ironic is it that she was both right and wrong?_

_"We can't say for certain," I answered her honestly, "There's no trace of him in either the Ghost Zone or the Mortal Realm, but he could just be hiding or playing with us again." I don't know why I kept insisting this. Everyone else knew, everyone else accepted your death, even celebrated it (which I found in horribly bad tastes.) but I just wouldn't let you die like that._

_It's strange. I always swore to destroy the evil you, thinking it would remove the taint on your name only I knew existed and clear my conscious of the guilt of not being able to save you from yourself, but now that you were really gone, it only felt worse. Maybe that was because of the mysterious circumstances behind that last day I fought with you, the lack of closure I had over your disappearance…_

_"Do you think he'll ever come back?" Paulina pressed. "You know him better then anyone, after all…" Did I? I knew your secrets, the ones that no other living person knows, but I didn't know you anymore now, did I? I didn't know how you got those powers, why you initially fought, how many others knew of your double lives or even why you'd want to be close to me, a ghost hunter, when you were half ghost._

_I closed my eyes again and saw your face. Your human face, laughing at some joke I couldn't remember anymore…_

_"…No," I answered at last, opening my eyes to look at my Hispanic classmate. "I don't think we'll ever see him again." Paulina smiled sadly._

_"I thought as much." She admitted softly. "Did you… were you the one who…?"_

_"No," I confessed, "I didn't finish him off." My eyes were drawn to an arrangement of flowers in the shop. Baby blue Forget-Me-Nots, tied together with a white ribbon around their green stems. I touched the flowers gently, aware of Paulina's curious gaze and not really caring. "…How much for these?"_

_"Take them," Paulina said, "I'm not going to take your money, Valerie. It's the least I can do after everything you've done."_

_"I…" I started to protest, but Paulina shot me a look before turning to busy herself with another arrangement. I sighed, smiling slightly to myself. "…Thank you," I said, taking the flowers and heading for the door. I was careful with them as I continued down to my original destination, responding vaguely to the other greetings I got along the way._

_Finally, I reached the place I wanted to be. The memorial for The Fentons Sam, Tucker and Mr. Lancer. It was littered with bouquets of flowers, from mourners who'd come here after you disappeared apparently for good. _

_No one but me knew how, but everyone knew that the deaths of the Fentons had some sort of connection you your sudden change. My father suspected, I think. That was why he let me continue to fight you like that, to try and avenge the humanity in you that I'd fallen hard for when I was still just a little girl…_

_Passing the landmarks, I stopped in front of a small, simple grave made from black marble with silver impressions, falling to my knees in front of it and placing the simple arrangement of forget-me-nots in front of me like an offering next to the picture of you I'd shattered long ago (newly framed) and the three or four other picture of you I'd propped up around the grave as I read the words I'd already memorized. _

_I was the one who'd made the headstone, after all, the one who placed it here when it was done. I felt it was only appropriate for you to be remembered here alongside everyone you ever loved. In the place where the you everyone thought they knew so well perished along with them. It was what you would've wanted._

"'Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery?'" _A mysterious voice behind me asked, making me twist around to look at the unfamiliar ghost floating there, also looking at the grave._ "'Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take but as for me; give me liberty or give me death!'" _He turned then to give me a knowing look, "Patrick Henry said those words as he was led to his own execution. I believe Danny was of the same mindset when he left this world. He wanted to be free so bad, he never stopped to consider the effect this actions might have upon others."_

_"Free of what?" I asked, turning and standing. I was angry this ghost had the nerve to intrude upon what was supposed to be a private moment between us. "Who are you?"_

_"I am Clockwork, Master of Time," the ghost introduced himself. "As for your first question… well, you already know the answer, don't you?" I frowned at that response, turning back to the simple grave again._

_"…Pain," I answered quietly, remembering the guilt and emptiness that'd wracked you the last time I really saw you, "He didn't want to be hurt anymore." Not by the people of Amity, who never understood him, not by his own helplessness at the situation… and not by me._

_"When a mother's child dies," Clockwork told me. "the woman might as well be buried with him, as a part of her also dies that day. Losing everyone who ever cared about you like that, as Danny had…"_

_"But he didn't!" I insisted, tears stinging my eyes, "He had ME!" I couldn't take it anymore. I broke down into sobs, "He had ME, damn it! I would've stayed. I would've…"_

_"It was too late, Valerie," Clockwork sighed softly. "It's too late for you and Danny. All that you loved about him was killed by what you hated, and even that side of him his now sealed away forever,"_

_"So he really is gone," I said, staring blankly at the ground in front of me. I felt like I just wanted to curl up and die, to end this pain that was haunting me. But I couldn't do that now, could I? That was the path you took, and look how that'd turned out. "All of him,"_

_"No," Clockwork said, putting a hand on my shoulder, "He lives in you, Valerie. So long as we leave behind people who loved us, people who will remember us always, even the dead live on." I stared at the grave in front of me for a moment, before turning back to Clockwork._

_"You said you're the Master of Time, right?" I asked, turning to look at him, "Is there anything I could've done to save him from this?" I needed to know where I'd gone wrong. I needed to see for myself if this personal hell was really all my fault…_

_"…No," Clockwork answered, "Danny was beyond saving after the deaths of everyone else who loved him, consumed with guilt since he blamed himself, and the one mistake he'd ever made, for ending everything he fought for,"_

_"So I really didn't stand a chance," I said with a sad, forced smile, my tears still falling, "…I thought so,"_

'It was never up to me to save you,' _I told myself bitterly,_ 'This is the only kind of relationship you and I were ever supposed to have, loving and hating each other at the same time.'

* * *

_**But now you're gone, my walls fall too**_

_**No matter how cold we may seem**_

_**I allowed myself to hope anew**_

_**When red was replaced again by green…**_

* * *

_"Here? Under these circumstances?" Clockwork asked me, "No. The chance of the love between you and Danny ever ending happily were highly minimal." I sighed at those words. At least he was being honest, I guess._

_Still, I couldn't help but feel pain stab through me at those words. After all, I bet Sam would've been able to do it. Even under those bleak conditions, I bet she could've found a way to save you. That's part of the reason everyone thought you two were lovebirds, because you were so RIGHT for one another, it hurt me to see you together._

_Did you love her? I never found that out. I never knew how you felt for me, either, other then the fact that you were convinced I'd hate you as soon as I found out your secret. In all honesty, I didn't even know how I felt anymore. _

_But now that you were gone for good, I could stop suppressing the part of me that loved you all along. I could mourn for you in peace where nobody else would. It was only fair, after all. As the only person left here who knew the truth, as the last person still alive to know you enough to love you, it was now my duty to allow your memory to live on, just as Clockwork had said._

_In some ways, though, it hurt more to be sitting in front of this small memorial that only I knew existed then it did fighting your evil side off as he tried to destroy humanity. In a fight, everything was action, I didn't have time to think about your eyes, or your smile, or how I used to daydream about kissing you. Here, I could help but think._

_"He wouldn't have wanted you to do this if it only brought you pain," Clockwork told me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "He would understand if you wanted to move on, to forget."_

_"I can't move on," I sighed, "I can't forget. Not this, and not Danny. I owe it to him… to both of us… to get what little closure I can." I just wished you'd listen to me that day I confessed to you when we were kids. I wish I hadn't run away. I wish I could've found the strength to finish you off when you came back looking like the spawn of Satan…_

_And I wish I'd never fallen in love with you in the first place, to avoid this pain, this horrible feeling of loneliness, all together. But at that same time, not knowing what I do now, not having the memories that I have of us together… That would've hurt even more._

_"Is that what you desire?" Clockwork asked me. "Closure?"_

_"I just…" I sighed, "I wish it never had to end up like this."_

_"It doesn't," Clockwork told me, "At least, it doesn't for the Danny who saved you the day the Evil Danny disappeared." I jerked at that, turning to stare at the ghost._

_"What do you mean?" I asked softly. Turning slightly, he waved an arm out in front of him, and a small vortex cut into the sky._

_In it there was an image. An image of me and Danny on a Ferris Wheel at the Carnival. We were both smiling right up until we stared down in surprise when the Wheel jerked to a stop in the perfect place to see all the city lights glowing in front of us. _

_We both watched as the buildings in front of us seemed to light up as if by magic, spelling out DF + VG in a pink glow. The me in the image smiled and rested my head on your shoulder, a day dreamy look on my face. You smiled down at me as well, a genuine smile of someone who was content with their life. Someone who honestly cared about another person enough to protect them from anything…_

_"That was the last Danny you saw," Clockwork explained to me softly, "Back in his own time. The time he managed to save from this fate by rescuing his friends and family." I stared at the image, knowing exactly what the ghost was talking about._

_I hadn't wanted to believe it at the time. I didn't want to get my hopes up that the Danny I cared about had returned to stop what he'd started so long ago… but when I looked up into those green eyes, I knew._

_Because they were filled with the same innocence and youth we'd only known in childhood. Innocence you'd abandoned with your humanity, and innocence I'd lost in this fight to stay alive. The thing that had really got me, though, was the concern written clearly on your face. Concern for me, a woman who had tried to kill you more times then either of us cared to remember._

'Then again, that was Danny back then,' _I reminded myself, smiling sadly._ 'He didn't hold a grudge then, no matter how many times I tried to blast him sky high.'

_I vaguely remembered telling you something about how cute you used to be before passing out in your arms, feeling safer then I had in the last ten years. Because this you, the you I remembered, could handle almost anything. Surely if anything could stop this demon, it would be you…_

_I blinked when the image shifted and I caught sight of Sam and Tucker hovering in some bushes at the base of the wheel, Sam hauling around a pair of infrared night vision binoculars and Tucker watching on in exasperation. Both very much alive and well. (If a little jealous on Sam's part.)_

_"So, for him, it never happened?" I questioned, turning back to Clockwork._

_"Not really," Clockwork told me, "He knows about this, about what happened here, but he managed to stop it, and he vowed to never let it happen to him. No matter what hardships he faces now, he will not lose sight of how vital his humanity is,"_

_"And… and me?" I asked, staring at the image again._

_"You have no idea about his ghost form," Clockwork answered, "And as you can see, your chances of an intimate relationship with Danny increases."_

_"But it's not certain?" I asked, frowning._

_"Nothing is certain, my dear," Clockwork told me, "Nothing that is, but death,"_

_"A chance, huh?" I turned back to the grave, tracing your name gently. "…Well, my whole life's been about chances. I guess one more won't hurt me," I sighed, "I just hope she doesn't make the same mistake I did,"_

_"That is for time to tell," Clockwork said with a gentle, knowing smile. "I will leave you to mourn in peace. After all you've been through, you deserve that much,"_

_"Thank you," I smiled sadly, "And thank you for showing me that…" It was comforting in some weird way, to know that in some alternate dimension, another me had the relationship with you I only dreamed about._

_"Think nothing of it, Valerie," Clockwork told me with a slight bow, "After all, I feel he'd have wanted you to know…" and with that, he pushed a button on his staff, and I was left shielding my eyes as he disappeared in a flash of light, the vortex going with him._

_Turning back, I studied the grave again._

_"So, we're not as hopeless as I thought, huh?" I laughed bitterly, "I wish I'd known that sooner… but wishing isn't gonna change anything, is it? Even if she still has a chance, mine is long gone, and now I'm only left with memories." _

_I sighed again, my eyes going down to rest on the forget-me-nots, the same vivid blue of your human eyes with their stems the same green as your ghost ones. That was why I picked them, they were the perfect flower for you, even in the name. You weren't someone anyone could forget, you'd seen to that. You saved us all only to turn around and become our biggest threat. _

_And yet, through all of that, through all the pain and fighting I had to do…_

_"Danny," I said softly, tracing your name again, "You know how you asked me, after you showed me you were Phantom, if I still loved you?" I closed my eyes, resting my forehead against the grave. _

_It felt cool against my skin, and I could feel you name cutting into my forehead, but I didn't care. I needed to tell you this, to confess and clear my conscious before I moved on. To what, I didn't know, but I did know what you would always be a major part of my life, even in your death. _

_"How pathetic is it that I do? Even after everything you put me through for the last ten years?" I shed one last tear that trickled down the black marble on a lone path as I said this, my voice shaking. _

_I wasn't a confident huntress anymore, I wasn't a solitary protector of the innocent. Just a lonely woman doomed to a disastrous love. That was what you'd managed to reduce me to without even trying. _

_"I hate you." I croaked out. "I wanna kick your ass, kill you, send you to the ghost Zone then hunt you down and finish the job… But I already know that I can't even if I tried. I love you too much for that." _

_I laughed bitterly, lifting my head and reading your inscription yet again. It calmed me somewhat, seeing that name, those words on a grave. It did give me a small feeling of closure, and I doubted I'd get much more then that._

_"I don't know where I'll go from here," I confessed, "I don't know what people will want from me now… but I know that I'll never forget you, Danny, and I'll never love someone the same way I loved you."_

_Leaning forward, I closed my eyes kissed your name gently, the loving kiss we never shared in life. My confession done, I stood and started away, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from me. Still, I couldn't help one last glance at that lonely, simple black grave sitting next to the elaborate monuments…_

**Danny Fenton**

**Danny Phantom**

1992 – 2006

_Loving Son, Loyal Brother_

_True Friend, Fallen Hero_

_And Lost Love_

_**May he live on Forever in our hearts…**_

* * *

**WoM- 'sniffing' _If you'll excuse me, I'm off to glomp Angeni, who is obviously in severe need of a hug_ 'wails as she clings to her Angst Muse'_ That aside, though, I think this is my most intense poem so far… and I know I pour my blood, sweat and tears into writing out the story part, which is my longest yet by FAR… now how the heck am I supposed to top _THIS?**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

IwuvMyKenshyPoo, Moss Royal, midnightgoth9, memoirs of a faded memory, conan98002, Samantha-Girl Scout, Lumias, Tazzel Quickbow, Denise

* * *

**Next update;** _February 26th_

**Next Poem;** _Sidekick_

_**See you then!**_


	14. Sidekick

**WoM- _I know who you all think this is from the title… and I'll tell you right now you're wrong._ 'grins evilly'**

* * *

"_Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."_

_**-Theodore Roosevelt**_

* * *

**Sidekick**

* * *

_**I'm always in your shadow**_

_**The little unknown tag-a-long**_

_**Praise to all you say and do**_

_**Singing backup in your song**_

* * *

_"So, what do you want to do today after class?" I asked, quickening my pace to keep up with yours._

_"Anything but bowling," You responded, making a face, "We've been doing that every night, and it's getting boring!" I didn't say anything._

_Personally, I liked bowling. And you seemed to forget that, along with the fact that there was little else to do on a weekend in a nowhere place like Amity for teens. Nothing good was playing in the movie theaters, and we went to the Nasty Burger almost every day. All those Mega Mini Meaty Patties can't be good for my figure…_

_"Well, I think Tanya's throwing a party at her house," I volunteered. "Her parents are out of town on some business trip,"_

_"Who's going?" You asked me, frowning thoughtfully._

_"Well, pretty much everyone," I told you, encouraged by the response. A little more slyly, I added, "You know, Dash is gonna be there…"_

_"So?" You scoffed, "What does that have to do with anything?"_

_"Nothing," I said, shrugging, "It's just… well, everyone's expecting you two to-!"_

_"I don't care what everyone expects," You snapped, irritated, "And I don't care about Dash Baxter. He can drool after me all he wants, but there's only one boy I want." I couldn't hide my shock at that, before it turned into bitterness._

_Of course you didn't care. You where in a position where you had the choice to care or not, unlike me. Me? I'd jump all over the chance to date Dash, but he only sees you. EVERYONE only sees you. I'm just your friend in their eyes. _

_The only time a guy comes up to me is to ask where you are now a days, and even the guy I'm dating is more interested in you them me! You have the guys fighting up pick up your pencil whenever it falls to the floor, and girls like me clamoring to be friends with you in hopes of getting some of your cast offs._

_I'm not stupid, I know I'm replaceable. After all, you don't really like me at all, you just need someone at your side to order around like a little grunt. More pathetic then that, though, is the fact that I know this and I still stay here with you…_

* * *

_**No one ever considered**_

_**If I wanted center stage**_

_**All their love is meant for you**_

_**So you have all of my rage**_

* * *

_"H-hey, Paulina!"_

_My lips thinned in annoyance and my eyes narrow into a bitter look as I watched the boy stammer and blush. He was just some loser who's name I couldn't remember, a Chess Club geek, but still…_

'What do they see in you?'_ I thought bitterly, _'Why are you the one everyone likes so much? I'm pretty too, so why does everyone like you so much more then me?' _I hated being the only girl in school who didn't have a guy falling all over himself for her. _

_Even Valerie had that Fenton loser crushing on her, though she broke that off before it really had the chance to get started. It was weird, since she seemed to really like him, but I didn't pay too much attention to it. Valerie was always doing weird stuff, after all…_

_"Whatever," You said in a bored tone, rolling your eyes as you walked away. I followed, just as was expected of me. After all, as far as others were concerned, the only place I had was by your side._

_None of them knew how badly I wanted to be the one everyone adored, how hard I worked to make all the right connections to see to it that I was at least out there were everyone could see me._

_But I want so much more then that. I wanted to be the one with the power, with the ability to change everything by my will alone. I hate always coming in second in everybody's eyes…_

'When is my chance gonna come?' _I thought to myself,_ 'I've given up a lot more then she has, when am I gonna get MY shot?'

* * *

_**I know well that showing that**_

_**Is a risk I cannot take**_

_**Not when you're all powerful**_

_**Despite being so fake**_

* * *

_"What do you think of this dress?"_

_I glance over at you as you hold a short, sleeveless red dress with a white flower pattern in the corner of the skirt against you, examining your reflection in the mirror._

_"It's so cute!" I gushed, as I knew was expected of me, "Totally you!" you smirk slightly at the praise._

_"I know," You say arrogantly, putting the dress in the pile of clothes you were buying, "I think that's what I'll wear to the first dance on the big yacht party Dash is throwing over Spring Break."_

_"That's gonna be an awesome party!" I said, eager to talk about this subject, "all the right people are coming, after all. So, who's gonna be your date?"_

_"Who do you think?" you said with a pointed smirk. I was a little surprised, despite myself. After all, you'd gotten everything you wanted before, why not the boy of your dreams too?_

_"You're seriously going with Phantom?" I asked, a little envious. After all, Phantom was cool. He was powerful, gorgeous and really brave. And who else but the ghostly superhero of Amity Park could make a jumpsuit into a fashion statement?_

_"Of course!" You responded smugly._

_"When did you ask him?" I questioned, frowning down at a baby blue halter top that would look great with my Hawaiian floral print wrap skirt at home._

_"I haven't yet," You admitted reluctantly. "But I will." I raised an eyebrow at you at that._

_"How?" I asked, "No one knows where Phantom goes when he's not fighting ghosts, so how will you ask him out?"_

_"By going through someone who does know," You responded with a sly smile, your eyes landing on something outside of the store. "Ah, speak of the devil. Here. Take this and my credit card and pay for me, will you? I've got important business to attend to…" You shoved everything you were buying into my arms and skipped out of the store after a trio we usually avoided, "Danny! Can I talk to you for a second?" I scowl to myself as the boy blushes and stammers something out in your presence._

'Of course,' _I thought bitterly to myself as I went to do your bidding,_ 'You ALWAYS get your way, don't you?'

* * *

_**I can't talk though, I am too**_

_**It's what I do to survive**_

_**And I'll keep doing what it takes**_

_**If it will keep me alive**_

* * *

'I hate you.'

_I scowl at the ground and kick at the rock at my feet, watching it bound and skip until it rolled to a stop before repeating the action. I was so sick of being your lackey, of playing second fiddle like that. Especially to someone like you._

'I HATE you…'

_What was worse, though, was the fact that even though I hated you, I knew I was just like you. I used the unpopular kids, too. I did everything it took to get anything I wanted, be it a guy or anything else in life._

_Sighing, I abandoned my rock and walked over to the nearby fountain, sitting at the edge of it and looking into my reflection, studying the face I worked so hard to put on every morning, the one that only ever earned me a 'marginally attractive.' What about me was so messed up compared to your 'perfection?' Was it my hair? My eyes? My figure?_

_Any if I hated you so much, why did I compare myself to you every day before I left my house…?_

_I glared down at my reflection in the calm water, splashing furiously to get rid of it. Why couldn't I be the perfect one? What was I doing wrong that earned me second place like that? What? What? WHAT?_

_Sinking to the ground with my back to the fountain, I didn't even bother to stop the tears that were now falling. No one else was here to see, after all, no one ever came this deep into the abandoned part of Amity, with all the falling buildings and litter._

_That was why I looked up when I hear a strange noise, gasping to myself at the sight above me._

_Flying in the air, graceful, silent and unaware of my presence, was your so-called 'one true love,' Danny Phantom. His eyes were closed as he looped and soared, the trail of ectoplasm tracing designs in the sky as it followed him._

_It was incredible to watch, and as I did so, I realized I was probably the first person to see him like this. This peaceful, gentle side of the brave warrior who fought to keep us safe from harm. Even you, I bet, have only ever seen him in the heat of a fight…_

_This knowledge made me feel special as I watched the ghost boy come to a stop a few inches above the water, the fountain blocking me from his view as he studied his reflection in the water as I had done not two minutes earlier. Gathering my courage, I stepped closer to this paranormal being._

_"That was amazing," I told him out loud, earning a startled yelp as the ghost lost his concentration and ended up in the water rather then above it, blinking at me in surprise. I cringed, realizing how stupid it was to sneak up on a ghost like that, "Ah, sorry,"_

_"It's okay," Phantom said, shaking the water off and getting back into the air He disappeared for a second, and when he re-appeared he was dry again. "I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here… Ah, it's Star, right?"_

_"Uh-huh," I nodded, sitting down, "You know me?" Phantom cringed and laughed nervously, one hand behind his head._

_"Well, yeah," He admitted, "I know a lot of the Casper High students, actually." I nodded. That made sense. Even if he was a ghost, he was a teenager, too. Of course he'd want to be around other people his age…_

_"Guess that means you know Paulina too, huh?" I asked bitterly. Phantom seemed a little surprised at the question._

_"Uh, yeah…" He admitted hesitantly. "I thought you two were friends?"_

_"We are," I said dryly, "On her terms. I do whatever she says, and I stay an A-list kid. If not…" I sighed heavily, "Can you keep a secret?"_

_"Better then you'd imagine," Phantom responded wryly._

_"Sometimes… I really hate Paulina. But I can't tell her that because I need to stay her friend to stay popular!" I felt dirty admitting this out loud, but at the same time, it was a relief to finally tell someone how I really felt. "I just wish she wasn't so perfect to everyone else…" I sighed, turning to the ghost, "She really likes you, you know," Phantom chuckled after I said that._

_"It's kinda hard not to tell," He pointed out, bemused. I was a little surprised at that._

_"You mean… you knew?" I asked, "And you don't like her back?"_

_"Paulina likes who she thinks I am," Phantom said dryly, "If she knew who I really was, I don't think she'd be too keen on me anymore. I don't have a problem with her, though. I just… I like someone else." I felt shock overcome me at that. The boy Paulina liked was in love with a different girl?_

_"Who?" I asked, eager for details._

_"No one," Phantom answered quickly, "It's stupid. Just forget I ever said anything. I mean, she hates me anyways, so…"_

_"Oh, come on!" I exclaim. "I won't tell anyone, I swear!" Phantom hesitated for a moment._

_"well…" He said reluctantly. "She's… kinda… theghosthunterinred," I blinked before gasping loudly when I translated that last part._

_"No!" I said with a grin, "The red hunter? Really? Do you know who she is?"_

_"I'm not going to tell you that," Phantom glared sternly before sighing, "Anyways, it's a doomed relationship no matter what I do, so I might as well give up on it…" I was a little surprised at the look on Phantom's face as he said this. He must've really liked this girl to be so hurt over her rejection… "I'd better go before someone shows up…"_

_"Alright," I responded, a little disappointed. Still, I'd had a conversation with the ghost boy, which was more then most people could say. Even you, I bet. "And Phantom? Thank you. For listening. And for, you know, fighting all the bad guys and everything…"_

_"No problem," Phantom said, sounding a little amused for some reason. "See ya!" And with that, Phantom disappeared into thin air, leaving me by myself. Smiling slightly, I made my way back home, in a much better mood now then I had been before my talk with Phantom._

_After all, if he liked someone else so much more then you, maybe you weren't as perfect as we all thought…_

* * *

**WoM- _Okay, be honest, how many of you were expecting her to show up at all? In all seriousness, I'm among those people._ 'sweatdrops' _sad, huh? Anywho, I can honestly see Star feeling this way. She doesn't seem to care much for people or feelings, just images, so it's hard to see her being Paulina's satellite out of anything but hopes of personal gain. In all honesty, she's probably one of my least-favorite characters in the show…_**

* * *

**Thank to;**

IwuvMyKenshyPoo, Ytak, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, midnightgoth9, conan98002, SummersSixEcho, Lunaqua, Inumaru12, A reader, KatieKumquat, Happy Orc, WolfDaughter, Lumias, Samantha-Girl Scout, OldNick

* * *

**Next update;** _March 6th_

**Next Poem;** _Human_

_**See you then!**_


	15. Human

**WoM- _Okay, I lied. Big deal!_ 'pouts' _Yes, this is a poem from the view point of a male from the show… and you can guess who, too._**

* * *

"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war."

_**-Albert Einstein**_

* * *

**Human**

* * *

_**How could others ever understand**_

_**The lines that I have crossed**_

_**My dreams, my love, my humanity**_

_**And all else that I've lost**_

* * *

_What is it that makes us human?_

_There have been many nights I sat up puzzling over that question. Trying to figure out exactly what separated humans from ghosts, mortals from the departed souls that once walked this earth just as they had, with families, friends, dreams…_

_I had dreams before, too. But I had to give it all up because of what I am now, though I still don't even fully understand what that is. 'Hybrid' is the closest thing to describe it, but even that doesn't explain what should be an impossible concept._

_After all, how can someone be alive, but dead at the same time? The strain this conflict puts on the body and mind is enough to drive one insane. Certainly there are days I wonder about my sanity, wondering if that too was a casualty in the hardships this life gave me._

_I never asked for this. And every day that goes by now, I'm torn between whether or not I truly want these powers bestowed upon me in a brief but extremely painful accident. After all, as much as I resent what they have done to me, I also have learned to adapt to life with them, learned things because of them that I never could've known if I hadn't become half ghost._

_Besides, it's not like the powers are all bad, after all. And if they were ever stolen from me, it would probably leave me an empty shell, less human then I was as a half ghost._

_Still, I can't help but muse over what 'human' is exactly. Is one 'human' merely because they are a living, breathing being? If so, considering how some of the 'humans' I've met in live conduct themselves, I think I'd rather take my chances with the ghost. _

_At least there's more understanding among them. They know who and what I am and take it in stride, while if 'humans' ever found out my secret, there would be blind panic, demands for actions to ensure I could not harm anyone without first seeing if I was guilty of any crimes against them to begin with._

_If that is truly humanity, I want no part of it._

* * *

_**My pain is never ending**_

_**I'm all alone here in this fight**_

_**How can a world that wronged me**_

_**Expect me to do them right?**_

* * *

_I suppose that's part of why your limitless naïveté astounds me. After all, you are no fool, you've proven that in your fights, both against myself and others. You are very observant and catch onto even the slightest changes quickly, unraveling complex world domination schemes with little or no help. You're capable of finding your opponent's shortcomings and using that against them, whether or not your opponent knows of them himself._

_I can't help but feel those young fools you ally yourself with are somehow responsible for your current mindset, for your stubbornness in refusing to go with me in conquering these worlds that should belong to me, the most powerful creature living or dead, and you, the boy who should have been my son, if not for one minor technicality, the fool who stole the life that was rightfully mine._

_Still, there are times when I'm almost sure that eliminating those two children would clear your vision of the innocence you cling to, most likely only to keep them satisfied. How can someone see what you have seen, know what you now know, and still believe that a virtuous path is the correct choice? _

_Many nights I've come this close to flying into their homes and smothering them in their sleep, a quick, painless death out of respect to you, but the one thing keeping me back is the knowledge that such foul play would only sever my chances more, so all I can do is hope some accident befalls them, something that makes you finally turn to me and admit that I was right all along._

_I dare to do nothing more then that, though, and I will never hurt you or Maddie, despite your reluctance to believe as much. I've never purposely put you into a situation where your life was endangered. _

_Actually, I preferred to avoid as much by keeping you captive somewhere safe until the danger had passed, but you usually found a way to free yourself sooner then I'd intended. Even when I forced you to fight your sister, I knew what the most I could hope for was that the power of the ectoskeleton would be able to render you unconscious._

_I am even reluctant to harm Jasmine, though she is of no true use to me. Still, just like with all of the undead, the ghost in me cries for revenge, for redemption for being so horribly wronged in this half life of mine. I admit I tried to fight it off at first, though no one may believe as much, but the power, the urges, they became too much for me. _

_At first, it was only little things, spiting those who wronged me in some way, but soon it grew and grew, and by the time I realized what was happening, it was far too late to stop it._

_When I finally gave in and allowed it to overcome me, that was the first time I felt at peace with myself since the accident that ruined my life forever. They consumed me completely before long, and soon my conscious faded away into nothingness._

* * *

_**Those people who abandoned me**_

_**Now turn to me in need**_

_**But all my anger's still unspent**_

_**And my hatred's now been freed.**_

* * *

_Irony truly is bittersweet, isn't it? To think, all that time I spent alone, isolated in that hospital, no one cared about me. I as good as dropped off the face of the earth when I most needed the company of friends._

_I suppose that, and the fact that it was one of my so-called 'friends' that caused the wretched, mutating accident in the first place, was what showed me that I didn't need them. That I didn't need anyone but myself. I was even more determined to stay secluded from humanity._

_I was young then. At first I was afraid, searching desperately for a way to free myself of the more frightening change in me, of which the scarring acne on my face was only a side effect. After I began finding ways to control these powers of mine, though, I became more reluctant to part with them._

_After all, they were a part of me after a while. My powers were how I worked, how I lived, how I survived. Giving them up, even in those early stages, would've been like declawing a tiger who spent their life in the wild. It would've killed me faster then any disease or infection could ever do. _

_My power became my hope, and my natural human curiosity combined with my desire for revenge, and led me to the life I now live. A comfortable life in a castle in Wisconsin, with almost everything my heart desired._

_And yet, it was still empty because 'almost' wasn't good enough for me. Not when the three things I didn't possess where what I most wanted in this world._

* * *

_**I know that I'm a monster**_

_**In all senses of the word**_

_**And I won't put any trust in them**_

_**After what I've seen and heard**_

* * *

_I know that I have done wrong in the eyes of humans. But then, what reasons do I have not to? Even if I hadn't, even if I'd done the 'right' thing with my powers as you've been doing, it still would've never gotten me anything except the constant conflict that you now face, a conflict only I know about. _

_The ghosts can never tell, since their humanity was abandoned at their death, and the humans could never know since they've never had a part of them die while the rest lived on. A foot in each world, and a soul in constant pain because of it. Only a half ghost knows what that is like. Only you and I._

_But you don't hear this when I try to explain as much to you, try to tell you that for every person you save, for every soul you help, you're tearing yourself in half more and more. Even you probably haven't realized it yet, but you are not just one entity anymore. _

_You cannot be half ghost and expect to live and work as a human does, nor the ghost. Ignoring half of yourself is not only a lie, but it's also dangerous in our case. Not to mention useless. The fight is a futile one, I would know, having been through it once myself._

_Still, all you see and hear when I'm around is evil. It's quite foolish of you actually. You must realize by now that the world is not that simple, nothing is as black and white as good and evil is made out to be in the minds of the people you fight for. Which is another irony in itself, as some of those people still will not admit that you fight for them._

_That cannot be what you desire, a life as the constant bad guy even though you're the one keeping them safe. Vigilantes get little respect in today's society, no matter how much good they feel they are doing for the world. To them you will never be anything more complicated then a restless undead spirit they will never understand._

* * *

_**But I'm not alone here anymore**_

_**Because you, too feel my pain**_

_**The same even in our differences**_

_**As we start to play our game**_

* * *

_The thing that most amuses me now, though, is how you so stubbornly refuse to admit we're so similar. It isn't just in our powers, either. Even at your young age, you understand the conflict and pain of lost love, of wanting something you are constantly denied for reasons beyond even your immense powers, powers you are beginning to realize are dangerous even to those you protect. _

_I saw, after all. _

_I saw the horror on your face after your accidental attack on the young Miss Valerie Grey in space when you were trying to stop Technus. The fool didn't even realize someone else was using his eyes to see all that he was seeing._

_It actually brought back memories too, the shock and pain written in your eyes as you stared from your hands to the girl floating helplessly off into the depths of the endless universe around you. I remembered then the first time I realized that my powers could severely harm those around me even if I didn't intend them to, the terror I felt at having such a force literally at my fingertips._

_Most of my terror, though, came from the fact that I enjoyed it. It felt good, you see, even as I stood there watching the person who was trying to mug me screaming in pain on the ground I could still feel the charge from that sudden burst of energy coursing in my veins, reminding me that I was no longer one of them. That I was alone in what I was._

_Until you showed up._

_I didn't even realize how much I craved the companionship of someone else who could relate to this awesome strength and the terrible burdens that came with it until I saw you lying unconscious after our first battle. It was a relief in some way, knowing that someone else was going through the same troubles I had, fighting the same internal conflicts I'd lost so long ago._

_Even the fact that you did not share my enthusiasm didn't deter me. After all, it wouldn't be long, I knew. The pain, the internal chaos that would have you questioning your sanity, it would all come soon enough. That was when you'd come searching for me, for something who could answer your questions, give you some peace of mind in knowing that someone else had survived all of this, become stronger in spite of the odds…_

* * *

_**So go ahead and fight me**_

_**Question everything I do**_

_**Because I can see your monster**_

_**Being just as human as you**_

* * *

_Until then I'll stay patient. Your friends influence won't last forever, after all. At times, I can already see signs of it's fading as the frustration, the dark desire for vengeance that only a ghost could know, rises up and you lash out at the simpletons who seem to eternally give you a hard time at school, never knowing that at some point in the near future, you could quite possibly kill them with a thought._

_I know it's there inside of you, though you suppress it for the sake of your friends and family. The darkness, the hatred, and the desire to destroy everything that stands in your way. I see hints of that anger every time you give me that green-eyed warning glare, hoping to scare me into submission and yet only serving to prove to me further that we and the same._

_You don't see yet that you can force yourself to stay caged, it's unhealthy for your body and subconscious, and it will only cause it to build up more and more, until the eruption that occurs because of it is out of control. _

_Kind of bittersweet, it is not? The thought that attempting to control your inner demons and protect those you care about from the darkness that is now a part of you could very well destroy everything you love. _

_Like a wild fire during a long drought destroys everything in its path. That is the reason firemen set small, controlled fires to sections of the forests. Such are immensely better then the damage caused by an inferno no one can stop, something so powerful and sudden that no one could prepare for it._

_Is that what it will take for you to come to your senses? I would hope not, such a thing seems barbaric to me, but still, you obviously won't listen to me, you refuse to see that you are no longer as human as you like to imagine you are. Perhaps it is your youth that blinds you to that? _

_I pity you for that, actually, for being forced into a half existence before you even had a chance to live. True I myself was young when I had my accident, only in my twenties, but I at least was an adult when it happened. You? You're a child, barely into your adolescence. Far too young for the life you must now live thanks to your fool father, an existence you still refuse to fully acknowledge._

_Still, I know that sooner or later, the dam will break loose and you will finally realize that you, too, can be the monster you are so fond of accusing me of being. All I have to do is wait for that day to come, and test your growing skills to measure the damage that will be cause from it._

_But that would be a small price to pay for the glory that will await us when you accept your destiny at my side…_

* * *

**WoM- 'Blinking innocently,' _What? Just because you COULD guess didn't make it a correct one!_ 'laughs and backs away._' I swear I'll get around to Danny_ (Eventually) _But for now, you'll just have to be patient. And I just gotta say that I adore the poem for this one! Vlad fits with poetry so well, so elegant and complicated… 'Laughs sheepishly,' If you haven't been able to tell yet, As far as the Danny Phantom Villains go, I WORSHIP Vlad. 'big smile' _**

_**Complexity is a very attractive concept to me, which is probably why I'm also fond of Valerie. Anywho, the story part here was fun to write since I finally got to put my extensive vocabulary to a good use that didn't involve bugging the hell outta my little brothers. (Who still don't understand why I can't say 'smart' instead of 'intelligent')**_

* * *

**Thanks to;**

SummersSixEcho, Ytak, Moss Royal, Samantha-Girl Scout, Light Dragon SunsSong, conan98002, midnightgoth9, WolfDaughter, Lumias, Writer's-BlockDP, Lunaqua, Merklin, avearia, fish n chips n vinegar

**

* * *

Next update; _March 13th_**

**Next Poem; **_Rival_

_**See you then!**_


	16. Rivals

**WoM- _Miss me? I figured with my new contest on Deviant art, I should probably work on getting the rest of these up. I'll try and get to as many requests as I can, as well as doing anything that comes to my mind. _**

**_For more information, check out my forum Taste of Insanity. It has all my current and upcoming stories, including this one and the next five poems you can expect from me with mini bios for each. Also, I have an important authors note at the end of this poem that I want everyone to read. Most of you have probably already been alerted to this, but I'm determined to keep it from happening again, so please bear with me a bit longer._**

**_Also, a BIIIIIIIG thanks to my beta for this poem, Nom de Plume. _'huggles,'_ Thanks again for putting up with my horrible grammar!_**

* * *

"_If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway."_

_**- Mother Teresa**_

* * *

**Rival**

* * *

_**I know that it seems stupid**_

_**How I've come to despise you**_

_**It feels like you have got me beat**_

_**In everything we do**_

* * *

I saw him with you again today.

Why is it now that seeing you two together always leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth? Whenever I see him smile at you, laugh at whatever you say, it makes me want to jump on you and rip you to shreds.

It's so STUPID! I mean, before this love triangle I never would've given someone like you a second thought. You were everything I hated, after all, and I was everything you strived not to be. We were total opposites with nothing in common.

Nothing except our tastes in guys, apparently…

Though you probably don't like him for the same reasons I do. There's definitely no way you look at him the same way I do, or have the same daydreams that now have me failing my science class. Daydreams about a life where he loves me back, and I finally have everything I could ever want out of life.

Too bad that it can never happen, considering that you're the one he likes. I didn't even notice at first, but when I did, I felt like a complete fool. After that, though, I just plain hated you. What gave you the right to hang all over him like you two were already dating? You could never love him the same way I do, so why does he like you better? Why are you the one he always picks?

That's just it, I guess. Other than the fact that I like him more, there's no way for us to compete. You're smarter than I am, and a natural athlete… the kind of supergirl a guy like him needs. How can someone like me, who needs someone to open a can of soda for her, compete with that?

* * *

_**I'm not blind to your secret**_

_**But then it isn't yours to claim**_

_**I hate the way he looks at you**_

_**Since I know my love's in vain**_

* * *

When I found out… when I first saw… It was so surprising, I didn't know how to react. I couldn't believe it, even though it'd been right in front of my face the whole time. In front of everyone's face, really, but no one ever really noticed. He was so invisible to anybody who really mattered, that no one thought anything of his weird behavior, or of the way he was never there when the ghosts were attacking.

Kind of ironic when you think about it now…

Still, after I got over my shock, I saw the perfect opportunity. After all, now I knew something about the man I loved that no one else had a clue about. I knew the face behind the brave fighter who has saved me so many times, and I could use that to my advantage. I was so happy to find out that my crush was in the palm of my hands, that I could get him whenever I wanted…

…Only to find out that he was out of my grasp.

Maybe at one point in time I would've had a chance, but not now. You were the one everyone was so sure was perfect for him, and it made me sick to think about. I hated the thought of any girl but me being with him that way, but the fact that it was you made it even worse somehow.

We were so completely different from one another that if he really loved you, there was no way he could care about me. Still, I wasn't ready to give up. He was the first person I've ever really cared about, after all, and I'm a girl who's used to getting things her way. I wasn't going to let the love of my life slip away, especially not to you.

* * *

_**Why is it that between us**_

_**I always come out second best**_

_**And you're the he turns to**_

_**When he needs somewhere to rest**_

* * *

The problem is, though, I don't know how I'm going to separate you two. Just flirting with him didn't work, after all. If anything, it just made things worse. Because when I started flirting with him, you'd get jealous and step up to stop me. Every time you did that, it brought him one step closer to realizing you liked him back; and the second he finds that out…

But I won't let him. I CAN'T let him be with you! If it was anyone else, I would've been angry, but I might have allowed it in the end- but I HATED you more than any other girl in school.

After all, you never had to worry about the things that I did. You didn't have to work to keep up the image other people expected of you. Every day I have to work harder and harder to be the best, to be perfect. And I was perfect.

At least, I pretended I was.

When I was talking to Ms. Spectra, though, she kept bringing up how I was only popular because I was beautiful. That nobody I hung out with was really my friend any more than I was theirs. The only thing that I have to take pride in is that every girl who knows me wants to be me.

Every girl except you.

I guess that's when I really started to hate you. You aren't afraid of me like other geeky girls are, and you don't envy me like the popular ones. At first, I didn't understand why that irked me so much, but now I know.

It's because you've beaten me in almost everything, even though I deserve it more. The day I realized that was the day I started feeling bitter every time we were in the same room. Even though I was prettier, even though I was more popular, YOU kept beating ME.

Especially when it came to him.

After all, he trusts you. He cares about you enough to put up with all the stupid stuff you put him through, and it's not even for the same reason the guys I date do the same for me. He doesn't like you because you're the girl every other guy wants to date, but just because you're you.

And that is reason enough for me to hate you even more.

* * *

_**This jealousy is petty**_

_**But I just can't tell who he likes**_

_**Who is the one he dreams about**_

_**For whom is it that he fights?**_

* * *

The uncertainty is what really drives me crazy, though. Sometimes, he acts like he still has a crush on me, sometimes it's like he likes Valerie, and sometimes I'm almost sure he likes you. I don't know how to handle it all, and it's not a feeling I like.

But as angry as it makes me, I can't bring myself to hate him for it. After all, it seems like every time it's coming close to a boiling point, there's another attack and I get to see him in action again. The brave, strong hero that other people are so sure died out with the chivalry.

It reminds me again of how he's so unique, which reminds me of how gently he'd treated me after he'd saved me from a ghost attack. How he can make such a natural change, from a superhero fighting to do the right thing to a boy my age with a cute smile and a warm laugh…

And I'd fall in love with him all over again.

Can you say the same thing? I don't think so. Even if we like the same guy, we're too different to like him for the same reasons. You probably like him for some creepy, weird reason I'd never be able to understand, just like you'd never understand how my insides melt every time he asks me if I'm okay.

Those are the rare seconds I love most in my relationship with him. When his attention, his eyes, are on me and me alone, and his question is only meant for my ears. That's when the rest of the world melts away, and he and I are the only things that matter…

…And that's usually when you bring us crashing rudely back to reality with some weird thing you'd do to ruin the moment, on purpose I'm sure.

That's usually the moment my hatred for you goes up another notch, too.

* * *

_**I want to be the one who loves him**_

_**Knowing that he loves me back**_

_**So now I sit here wondering**_

_**What it is that I lack…**_

* * *

Still, there's not much else I can do here, waiting for him to love me and trying to stop him from loving you. Maybe it's a useless battle, maybe I'm being selfish, but I can't say I care all that much about things like that.

After all, the people who stop and wonder about those things are the ones who lose what they want. Only the ones who will give up everything to get everything will get anywhere in life- that's something Papa taught me when I was a little girl.

And right now, there's nothing I want more than the Ghost Boy.

So I guess that makes us officially rivals now, huh? Because you want him, too? You may deny it, but everyone sees the secret glances, the protectiveness, the anger and jealousy when another girl starts to flirt with him…

Somehow, though, that doesn't really surprise me all that much. After all, we've fought about nearly everything else, why not add a guy into the mix, right? This is just another chance for us to go head to head, another way for us to fight bitterly until the end, when only one of us comes out the winner, the one who gets the boy of her dreams.

Fair enough, I suppose. Just know that this time, I'm not going to be the one to lose, Sam Manson…

* * *

**WoM_- I did every other girl twice, so I figured _'what the heck!' _Paulina needs a little representation around here too every once in a while… Anywho, I think this one came out better then Ojos Verdes. Darker and a little more possessive…_ 'Rabid fan of anything morbid' _I think you can blame some of the new stories I'm planning out for this one…_**

_**Once again, if you want any more info on upcoming stories, check out my forum Taste of Insanity, since it's easier to keep up with them there then on my bio. I'm probably going to post the story that gets the most response first, which right now is a toss up between Father of my Son, Ghost of You and Ghost Town).**_

_**On another note, I have a contest going on over on Deviantart for people to draw up scenes for these poems. There's a link on my bio, and more information in the Erato's Abode section of Taste of Insanity, where you can also feel free to ask questions.**_

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE!**

**I'm sure most of you have already heard about this, but if not then I'm going to tell you now. I've gotten knowledge recently that someone has stolen one of my stories and posted it as their own on another site. To say that such a blatant act of plagiarism makes me angry is a DRASTIC understatement.**

**Honestly, I was tempted to pull all of my stories off the internet, but the fact that a reader of the story was the one who alerted me to this crime made me change my mind about that, since it reminded me that even if one person betrayed my trust in such a terrible way, I still had a lot of loyal readers who could help me become a better writer.**

**Still, I want everyone to keep an eye out for any more copycats of any of my works, and alert me the second you see someone using my story under any name other then WingsOfMorphius. I've already received notice that there was one other person out there who copied the exact same story, but thankfully that person dropped the story before I had to take action.**

**Just as before, I end this grim note by thanking the readers who remained loyal and trustworthy to me and adding another thanks to everyone who's been showing sympathy and anger over the situation in whole.**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

alboc, Crazy Billie Joe Loving Freak, Moss Royal, Samantha-Girl Scout, conan98002, Lumias, midnightgoth9, SSpHaC, Light Dragon SunsSong, kdm13, robtitan, Crossover Fiend

* * *

**Next Poem;** _Forgotten_

_**See you then!**_


	17. IMPORTANT!

I'm sure most of you have already heard the sad news, but if not I'm here to tell you now; Recently my friend RoyaleRockerella, known better as Lateraina Wolf over on got into a serious car accident with her bandmembers.

Two of her friends died on impact, one died in the hospital the next day and another is in a coma. Lateraina herself is fine physically, but emotionally she's going to need some serious time to recover.

I'm not going to pretend I know what she's going through, as I have been fortunate enough to have never lost someone close to me due to death before, let alone three of my friends at once, but I do understand why she'd ask people to understand her lack of updates, and hope that you guys would be considerate enough to think about her feelings right now before you give her a hard time about her stories.

Speaking to Lateraina over the phone, I know how much her band meant to her, and I realize what a hard time she has to be going through right now. I'm not a religious person myself, but if you are, please remember Lateraina in your prayers and even if your not try to be as compassionate as possible, merely due to the fact that she's a friend who needs our help.

I'm going to be starting a get well giftart immediately to give Lateraina, to let her know that I'm here for her, and I ask everyone out there, whether you've read her stories or not, to join me. Lateraina needs out support, people, this is what being a friend is about.

I'll be posting somehting on all my stories as well, because she asked her sister to tell me to get the new out about why she wasn't updating. Everything considered, I feel this is the least I can do for her right now.


End file.
